Pressure is Off!

My kids: comfortable in their skin!

“I had the best day today!” My 11-year-old professed to me.

“Oh yeah?” I commented with mild interest. Cole often has good days. It only takes a cheeseburger at lunchtime to elevate his mood. “So, what made the day so great?”

“I decided to stop showing off. And all the pressure just went away!”

I hadn’t realized the kids was under so much pressure to perform. I was actually a bit baffled until he clarified. “I don’t want any girlfriends right now, Mom. It’s just too much work.”

Ah. That makes sense. Now that the pressure’s off, Cole can get back to his daily fart stories. Much better. But his initial declaration, to stop showing off, got me to thinking. What if we all stopped showing off? Wouldn’t we all have less stress in our life?

I could save a heckuva lot of time on my morning routine--no cosmetics, hairstyling, or my painstaking selection of clothes/shoes/accessories to wear. But I'd scare the living daylights out of my family and my coworkers. And I could’ve saved a truckload of money if I would’ve stuck with my car from college–that beloved 1985 Buick Somerset. But if we all thought that way, the auto companies might've gotten themselves into some financial troubles. Oh wait...

Needless to say, I do remember waking up one morning not terribly long ago and thinking to myself, "I'm okay with my Ford Fusion. I don't need anything fancier than that." It seems as we grow older, we finally start to feel comfortable with every aspect of our lives. Cole discovered a small truth this week–that I doubt will stick once he falls head over heels in love again. But he reminded me that feeling comfortable in your own skin is the best way to live. And I really don't need a new car.