The dictionary defines vitality as 'the state of being strong and active; energy.' I think someone with vitality is someone with lots of energy and high levels of activity. And the first example that comes to mind of someone like this is 'Moms'. Almost all Moms I know have amazing amounts of energy, fairly robust health and the capability to do incredible things. Women aren't born with this ability but becoming a mother does this to them.
Yesterday was our day out and as Che and I rode across town catching up with friends we hadn't seen in ages, a conversation got me thinking about vitality and mothers. Coincidentally it was mother's day too! Going down that rabbit hole I thought I'd look at what makes mothers so active and energetic. After all being a Mom is not easy, it's taxing, its tiring, it's exhausting, [yeah yeah, it's rewarding too :D ]. But if being a Mom is all that tiring, how do Mom's stay mostly healthy? How do them have so much energy? How do they pack so much into their every day?
Mom's Indiscriminately Eat
I learned the value of food from my mother. It was a rule in our house that you had to finish what was in your plate. You couldn't turn up your nose at any dish and had to eat all. But aside from this I learned not to waste food from my mother, not even a little bit.
Mom hates wasting food so the dinner table doesn't have just today's food but also a little of yesterdays. Kids being kids we tried to escape the old and have the new always. This meant a lot of times there was just a little bit of something left; rather than put it back in the fridge or throw it, Mom would force herself to finish it.
When it comes to waste, she wouldn't even let some fruit slide. If we hadn't scraped the custard apple clean, she would. When she cut mango or watermelon, there would be no fruit left on the skin or seed. Mom was a stickler for no wastage.
My Mom isn't the only one I've seen do this, almost all Mom's I know are like this. This seems to be why even though it seems like they aren't eating well at the dinner table, Mom's still have good health.
Lusty Lists
Mothers don't have a to-do list, they have very many to-do lists. There's a list for the little one's food, the little one's school and homework, then there's a list for the kitchen, a list for the house, a list for the husband, and it goes on. And mothers manage them all and achieve 90% or more on their lists. I have difficulty managing one to-do list on paper, how mothers manage so many boggles my mind.
Have you come across Luminosity? It's a site that helps you exercise your mind for a few minutes everyday. I've been doing the exercises for a couple of weeks now and I find am performing better everyday. The more I exercise my mind the better it's getting.
Maybe all those lists explain why Mom's are so sharp and alert.
Home-Work
Then there's all that physical stuff, picking up after kids, sweeping, moping, dusting, washing clothes, cleaning vessels, and again the list goes on. Mom's make what they do look easy but it isn't easy at all, it's a lot of hard physical labour that brings me to my knees most days.
But all that physical stuff they do explains their physical fitness. The home is like their personal gym, where they exercise while no one is watching.
I notice that I am more healthy and fall sick less when I don't have help and have to do a lot of the house chores myself. Not that I don't want help!
What else do you think gives mothers the vitality they have? How do they acquire the qualities they have? Is it really only a mother thing? Or are all women like this?
What do you think gives your mother unlimited energy? And if you are a mother, please tell me the secret of your energy? [And don't say Boost :P ]
P.S. - Thanks to Mom, after peeling a mango, you'll find me nibbling on the skin for a little extra fruit. Do you do that too?
Photo Credit: OpenClips and Richi on Pixabay.
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