Resilience in Motherhood

Issue No. 1

It’s my daughter’s birthday party today and I am intentionally waking up an hour before everybody else to make sure that I get a moment of solitude for myself to gather my thoughts and intentions in order to stay sane throughout this busy day. In my mind’s eye I love having people over and sharing our home, our food and good conversation. However, in practice it becomes something entirely different. I find myself rage cleaning where I all of a sudden develop the need to deep clean the house, throw my kids little treasures that build up in every crevice and crack out into the trash bin, and proceed to start telling everyone in a very strained, high volume that they need to help me make this place look somewhat presentable. What I’m screaming inside is please help me make this house look like we have our shit together even though we absolutely do not. I have to laugh at myself with this realization because I know that most of us do not have our shit together, but some of us are just better at making it look that way than others. We are not that.

What we are good at is focusing on the stuff that matters like a home-made birthday cake my husband expertly made at 11:00 pm last night, a bounce house rental that will be at our house for a max of 4 hours and then gone, the goodie bags curated by our daughter with treasures she has collected the past few weeks, and handmade birthday signs and drawings her older sister has strewn up in the hallways. Our house is definitely not spic and span, but it is our home that shelters, protects and provides respite in our lives. It is also a place of gathering the community of people that we want to build in our lives. That concept of community has become increasingly more important to me now that my family and I have moved three times since the birth of our first daughter. Community is vital to every human being, and when you’re raising little humans, it is the safety net.

That’s why I’m starting this sisterhood newsletter. I want to have a way of reaching out to all the beautiful female relationships that I’ve had in my life and share more about our lives so that we can grow stronger as a collective. Each newsletter, I’m going to include some articles, podcasts, songs, books, events, etc that reflect more of the femme perspective oriented toward compassion and resilience. I absolutely love learning about what other people are creating in an effort to put more beauty into the world. It’s what we need right now. My hope is that you can read this newsletter sometime perhaps after the depressing news you’re consuming and find it as a way to buffer the negative noise. Perhaps some of these gems will help sustain you through a busy week or a chaotic kids birthday party. Whatever the case may be, I hope this letter finds you well, and that you know you are important to me. Reach out when you can. Send a gem of your own. Let’s share the bigger world of beauties together.

In love and solidarity,

Martha

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Do One Small Thing…

Consider one way of reaching out or sharing connection with another human this week. It could be a thank you note, a letter or email, joining an exercise class, calling a friend, or a simple text to say hi, I’m thinking of you. Making these tangible efforts consistently is like sowing your seeds with the intent for a bountiful harvest to come. The potential is exciting and hopeful. Here’s a helpful tip from the wise Celeste Headlee on how to make those conversations even better. 10 ways to have a better conversation

My favorite 15 minute stretch from Mady Morrison is a practice you can do as you gently wake up in the morning or wind down in the evening. I challenge you to try this for a week with me. Your body will thank you.

• 15 min stretch

This newsletter has been brought to you by Martha Kirk Coaching.

If you have been putting off a deep desire to make a change, a good coach can be a valuable investment. I work 1-on-1 with high-achieving women who want to do the work from the inside out in order to create their own choices in life and be their own agent of change.

Email: marthakirkcoaching@gmail.com

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