Hi, friends 👋🏽. I’m Stacy Casson, Chief Play Officer at Things to Think About, LLC. Having raised five kids, I’ve learned to be the calm in the chaos. I’ve overcome overbooked calendars and channeled my guilt into meaningful conversations with my kids. You don’t have to parent alone since I’ve made many of the mistakes and learned a better way. I’m focusing on supporting parents and caregivers of elementary-aged students as they navigate overwhelm. I write this blog to help them move from overwhelm to action.
Celebrate Your Wins
Pause for a moment:
What’s one thing you accomplished this week—big or small?
Did you try the “just the facts” challenge?
Finally made that recipe you’ve had pinned in your someday file?
Go for that walk after dinner?
Drop your win in the comments or share it with a friend!
My wins: This week, I picked up my badge and officially became a substitute teacher. I attended a local networking event and spoke to people instead of being a wallflower. I personally used “just the facts” from last week’s blog with great success. I successfully completed my first VIP day, and the client was so happy to get things done and finally have the space to eat at their dining table. I like to reflect on my wins because it helps to keep the momentum when I’m down.
Happy International Women’s Day
I’m pulling from the Waite-Smith Tarot by A.E. Waite with art by Pamela Colman Smith on the Galaxy Tarot app by Galaxy Tone. The deck is also known as the Rider-Waite Tarot, and on this International Women’s Day, acknowledge the contributions of Pamela Colman Smith, who, while recognized as the artist, is still not named in the title of the deck on the official U.S. Games site.
Card of the Week: Ten of Wands
A man struggles to carry ten branches as he walks towards a town. My initial impressions were about all the burdens and responsibilities we carry, and because it’s International Women’s Day, the unpaid labor and mental load that women carry. It was such a perfect card because I was able to help someone release the mental weight of their physical clutter this weekend.
The Pattern It Reveals
I interpret this card as being weighed down because we try to do everything ourselves. The person walks towards a village with all these heavy branches. What would happen if they either made multiple trips or put them down and went to the village and asked for help? I also notice the branches are identical. My client had well over fifty pens from various sources. Did they need all of those pens? Did they have room for all those pens? I often pick up so many mental branches, just in case, or to be helpful, that I easily get burdened down and overwhelmed. Does this happen to you? As a parent, I used to bog myself down with keeping on top of my kids’ responsibilities. With five kids, I quickly realized that I needed to empower them to manage their time and homework.
The Question Worth Asking
Take a look at everything you are carrying. Are you the person who should be shouldering the load? Take a moment to reflect and journal.
One Small Experiment to Try This Week
Lay it down. It’s time to enforce one boundary. For example, if you have been nagging your kids to put their clothes in the hamper, if they don’t, let them face the consequences. Once my kid had to wear dirty clothes to school because they weren’t washed, they quickly learned their lesson and also know how to do the laundry. Notice what shifts.
Ready to move from overwhelm to action?
If this post resonated and you are ready to lay down some burdens, join The Five Minute Club. It’s a thirty-day decluttering challenge run in Telegram. Each day you will get a prompt for a daily five-minute task straight to your phone. We begin on Monday, the 9th. Here is the link to join: https://t.me/+Z9bqhfTbr-oyODQ5
