What is enough?

Contemplation captured by Melanie Van Kuyk

What is enough?  I began asking myself this question a few years back.

It all began with a particularly wonky morning.

I had written a to do list the length of my arm, booked clients for most of the morning and the cupboards were bare, the washing baskets full and the dog was staring longingly at his lead.

Super-human me was fist pumping the air…   You’ve got this, put your head down, your bottom up and you’ll get it all done, you always do.

I’ll spare you the ugly details, let’s just say there were hiccups, mess ups and meltdowns, and by 9pm that evening I was fighting the urge to put one more load in the machine while I read some notices and started some ironing.

I had raced around all day and still there was so much left undone.  I knew there were emails unanswered, wet towels in the bathroom and dishes in the sink.

And then came the worries…  I hadn’t spent enough time with the kids, given hubby enough attention and done enough work to keep my business dreams alive.

It felt like it was all slipping away.

I was focused on every little thing I had hoped to get done that day and hadn’t, and the frustration and disappointment was immense.

“How can I be doing so much and achieving so little,” I finally screamed at my husband.

He started at me in disbelief.  He didn’t see it that same way.  He saw a hard-working, dedicated and wonderful wife and mother who was scrambling to feel she’d done enough, that she is enough.

Heartbreaking stuff to reflect on now and yet a struggle I continue to have.

As someone who knows how to get a lot done it’s incredibly tempting to fill every nook and cranny of every day.

There’s always more to do.

Emails keep coming,  news feeds never end, notifications add up , notices pile up.  The food gets eaten, the clothes are worn, the house is lived in.

The tasks, requests and demands keep coming.

It’s up to you to decide what’s enough each day.  To mark out a realistic finish line and know once it’s crossed you’ve done enough.

The greater challenge is knowing and truly believing that no matter what gets done, and however much is left undone, you’re always enough.

Your worth is not measured by how much weight you lose, children you have, noses you wipe, beds you make and meetings you attend.

You are wonderfully complete, whole and glorious no matter what you do.

You are enough… and it’s my greatest wish that we all recognise and believe that.