One More
I just finished reading The Power of One More by Ed Mylett. (It is linked below). I have some takeaways that I wanted to share with you. Not only did it have great thoughts on how to use the power of one more to get different results in your life, but the last chapter was probably the most profound for me. He discusses his relationship with his dad and how the “one more” philosophy came from him. A line in the final chapter says,
“When you approach life with a One Last One More mentality, your priorities become clear. You are more grateful for God’s gifts that have been given to you. You respect and appreciate time.”
The timing of reading certain lines in a book can be funny. And I don’t mean laughing until we cry funny, but more of a serendipitous experience. The right time and place for that particular sentence to jump out at me. You see, we’ve been so busy this summer that our routines have been off, and everyone is tired (Mom especially). There has been a lot of ornery behavior and a lack of listening. It was a tough week for parenting. My normal “strategies” and “techniques” weren’t working. It tested my patience—and I hate to admit this, but I failed. I lost my temper and yelled and cried, but to any of you who have been reading these blog posts for a while, you know the crying isn’t too out of character! But I hate yelling. I don’t want to be known as a yeller and I don’t want my kids to think yelling is a proper way to communicate when you are upset. Your children will imitate the behavior they see the most and that’s not the behavior I want to pass on. I believe in being stern when needed and setting clear boundaries, but there is a difference between my stern voice and my I’m losing it yelling voice! So, reflecting on my week and thinking about how I want to do better this next week…that’s when I came across this passage. It hit home. I needed that wake-up call as a reminder to treat each day with the “one more” mentality.
Shortly after reading that line, we took a family walk around the neighborhood pond. Tucker had asked if he could bring his camera (it’s a little one that he got for his birthday that I’ve linked below) and we said sure. As you all know, kid time and adult time work very differently. I was ready to get moving and get my steps in and he had other plans. We got down to the pond and he immediately found things he wanted to photograph. After stopping to take pictures multiple times in the first few minutes, we started walking again. I kind of laughed and said to my husband, “I thought we were going on a walk, not a photoshoot…” And as soon as I heard my sentence out loud, I reminded myself of that “one last one more” line I read. That is when, and I promise this is no exaggeration, a deer started walking towards us on the walking path! It was almost close enough to touch before it darted toward the woods. I have never been that close to one. It wasn’t scared or trying to hide, it was such a miraculous moment to witness. As if to say, slow down and remember to enjoy these moments. There is so much beauty all around us if we could just slow down long enough to appreciate what we see.
I hope after reading this you think about the concept of treating each day with a one last-one more mentality. I hope you can find time each day to recognize with gratitude just how wonderful our lives are. Most importantly, if you yelled at your kids or feel like you failed your week, forgive yourself and just keep on trying your best—that’s what I’ll be doing.
Have a great weekend and as always, happy reading.
