Miss me? You haven’t heard from me in a while because I recently spent a week in the Colorado Rockies working on a ranch. It was absolutely magical! Backbreaking, exhausting and yet magical. I spent the week fixing a barbed wire fence on 40 acres of land and building two new gates for the cattle around the property. My cowboy boots got their fair share of use this week.

While I do believe there is something about physical work and the joy of seeing the finished product, I also believe in getting away to be able to look back at home and gain some perspective.

As SPD parents, we get so embroiled in the day-to-day struggles that we forget we are doing amazing things. But more importantly, we forget that we can do NEW amazing things. Activities that remind us that we are not just moms and dads but people with our own interests and abilities.

I learned how to work a gas-powered chainsaw this week. I learned how a starter on an 8N tractor works. I learned that although I can tighten, cut and reconnect barbed wire fences by myself, it’s much easier with a partner. But above all else, I learned it’s essential to never stop learning and doing activities just for me.

I know more about Sensory Processing Disorder than I ever thought. But to keep my brain agile and active, I need to take in new challenges that are just for me to refill my heart and spirit.

So I encourage you to try something new. It can be cooking a new dish that requires a strange ingredient you keep hearing about (what is quinoa anyway?). Strap on some hiking boots and explore new trails. Learn how to knit so you can make hysterical outfits for the dog. Shoot, play the kids’ video games when they go to bed and get hooked. Maybe even get so good you can kick their booties! Just find something that you can grasp on to to begin redefining yourself from an SPD parent to just being you again.