“It’s just us.”
A phrase often voiced within the walls of our home.
Usually after a good, long day. When the girls are peacefully asleep, and the lighting in the house is dim. I’ve finished my last sweep of the kitchen and we’re both finally retired on the couch. Cuddling. About to binge on our latest show.
Or during one of our middle of the night pep talks after I wake him up in a panic about the most ridiculous things!
Or when I come back from a social outing and try to shake off every awkward thing that I did/said.
I’d say those are the best contexts for it.
When the world feels like it’s just the four of us and nothing else matters.
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It’s just us.
A safety phrase in our house.
And a mantra I’m striving to live for.
It’s so special to us, in fact, that we were planning on naming the blog after it! But.. I hoped to make it a bit more general and opted for a different title.
However.. It’s a topic I still find so important to write about!
Because at the end of the day, that’s all that matters. The “us” people in your life.
The people who have seen you at your lowest and don’t hold it against you.
Who don’t care if you are clumsy, disorganized, or dorky.
They know all about your little quirks and still love you. All of you.
You know yours. I bet you’re thinking of them right now.
I’m grateful for these people in my life! I’m thankful for those who have stood by me and offered support–despite my sometimes questionable behavior.
Though I love people and I’m passionate about helping them and being kind to all, I’ve constantly had to come back to this.
Like today I was making the craziest faces at Lil Sis and she laughed so hard. I’m pretty sure she thinks I’m the craziest funniest person on earth. Her entire body lights up when I walk into the room.
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And Big Sis? She adores every bit of me too. She wants me next to her AT ALL TIMES. I hope that doesn’t change anytime soon.
My husband thinks I’m beautiful without makeup on. My closest friends have kept near though we live great distances apart.
And somehow my parents are proud of me… in spite of some painful choices they’ve seen me make.
These relationships in my life… they are my greatest blessings. They are what I will take with me in the next life. They are everything.
And the more I center in on them, the happier I become.
Because it gets reeeeal easy to worry about other people and what they think. Ya know, the ones who may not approve.
But I had a couple of cool experiences that really hit me. After my Good Intentions post, my sweet friend Rebecca texted me and said that she recently expressed the same worries I had to her husband and he responded, “those who really care should love you and appreciate you and not compare themselves to you.” Isn’t that the truth?! She hoped that I remembered this too.
And just the other night my childhood bestie Ciara pinned some pins on Pinterest that were spot on. One of them being a quote from Charity Barnum in the Greatest Showman (a fav):
“You don’t need everyone to love you, just a few good people.”
As a natural people pleaser, these are some great words of wisdom for me. Because it just isn’t possible to be adored by every single person. I often think of Christ. He was loved by few and is still rejected by most, yet He was the only perfect person who walked this planet.
“Just Us” as people
Now I know I’ve been chatting on and on about focusing on your loved ones. Which I believe in. But I also believe in kindness toward all mankind matters.
So yes… I like to think of “just us” as my family.
“Just us” as my friends.
And “just us” as people in general. Because when it comes down to it, we are all human. Trying our best. Maybe not always so gracefully or in the same way. But trying nonetheless.
So I want to keep this in sight. Love those you love with all you got. Focus on them. And be kind to all, even if it’s just something small. Because no matter how little, kindness goes a long way.
