Yesterday I talked about resting wherever you are. “Rest” is a really a state of mind, a state of peace, trust, and gratitude even when circumstances aren’t the way you want them to look.

Today is a continuation of that message. So often with decisions about school, our mind and anxious energy gets fixated on the future at the expense of the opportunities just waiting for us today. I’d like to offer two simple ways to be more purposeful right where you are.

1. Appreciate what you have.

If you’re homeschooling right now, appreciate that it’s time together. Be grateful for the flexibility. Appreciating the unique gifts of learning together at home can boost your spirits in the rough moments. Take advantage of what your day can look like precisely because you homeschool and don’t feel guilty about it.

If you send your kids to private or public school, appreciate that you’re not shouldering all of the burden of your kids’ education. Be grateful for the other teachers in your kids’ lives. They’re a gift and a help. Celebrate the space that you get from your dear children — to rest or to work or to focus on your younger children — especially if it allows all of you to come back together again a bit more ready for relationship or provides the luxury of using the bathroom without an audience.

2. Be mindful of what you don’t have and live accordingly.

If you’re homeschooling, chances are there’s not much time for just you and your thoughts to peacefully hang out, especially if there’s a little one at your feet eating a Cheez-It they found under the hutch from two years ago while a big kid asks question about the existence of God when she’s supposed to be focused on math worksheets and the middle kid has snuck out the door to play golf in the backyard while still wearing his pajamas.

We all have different needs, different “sanity savers” that keep us afloat. Maybe it’s a nap, time with a good book, or the opportunity to go to the grocery alone with an extra hour built in for Starbucks or the thrift store. When you’re homeschooling on purpose, you have to maintain your sanity on purpose too. Being mindful of this, doing whatever it takes to renew yourself physically, emotionally, and spiritually — it’s non-negotiable.

If you send your kids to school, you may have flexible time during school hours or perhaps that’s when you go to your job. What you don’t have is a leisurely late afternoon or evening. You’re supervising homework, feeding people, and probably getting them to and from activities. This is what our current life looks like. And I have “sanity savers” that keep me afloat during this season too. Savers like my calendar, knowing what we’re doing for dinner ahead of time, and getting all of my work done {that requires the best of my brain} while they’re at school.

So much of this boils down to managing your time, energy, and needs in a way that keeps you somewhat balanced. To do this, you have to know yourself and your family in a way that’s honest and realistic, not wishful and idealistic. You also recognize that each decision carries with it certain assets and liabilities. Acknowledge the gifts that come with each option — like flexibility and time with little ones. But also acknowledge what each option doesn’t have — like time for recharging and clean toddler snacks.

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Don’t miss out on the life-giving renewal you need because you’ve failed to recognize what you don’t have and continue to live in a place of deprivation. You can live with intention wherever you are. It’ll still be messy and it’s not an exact science. Be there is such possibility when we do the life we’ve been given with purpose instead of passivity.

There’s no best way for everyone. But there is the place where you and your family sit right now. It may not be where you sit next year or even next month but it’s your place for today. Make the most of it. See the gifts and enjoy them to their fullest. And accept what you don’t have so that you can care for yourself and others in a way that’s sustainable.

What’s one of the ways you do life on purpose?

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For all the posts in this 31-day series, go here. And to read the other posts I’ve written on topic of schooling, you can go here and find them all in one place.

I’m linking up with The Nester and her tribe of 31 Dayers.

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