My New Mission Statement: Baby Feet

In 2011 my husband and I moved to a new town, bought a new house, and had a new baby. So at the beginning of 2012 I brought out a freshly-sharpened Dixon Ticonderoga #2 and a pad of yellow paper.

"Let's make a new family mission statement!"

The first family mission statement we made (after reading and discussing The Seven Habits), hung on the wall over our kitchen table in Portland, Oregon for the five years we lived there and was the source of our best man's best-received jokes in his wedding toast for us. I liked glancing at it while eating breakfast or checking the mail or drinking tea.

Now we live in the Northwest Corner of Connecticut and we are three and not just two! (And I put a photo in a frame that had held the mission statement and hung it in the hallway.)

"Maybe we should start by thinking of categories. Like family. . . and home, and health. . . maybe community? Or work?" I was getting into the brainstorming zone, writing everything down. "What do you think, baby?" (This was addressed to my husband, who I usually call "baby". He also usually calls me "baby", which, with the addition of an actual baby, who we - guess what? - often call "baby", can be a little confusing.)

"How about baby feet?!"

I thought that was not terribly helpful, but in the spirit of brainstorming and improv (always say yes!) wrote it down in small letters above my list on the pad of yellow paper.

"So, for home, we want it to be clean and inviting, right? So. . . " A long conversation in which we discussed when and how we could vacuum the rug, do more dishes and purchase two more laundry baskets ensued.

Hmmm. . . not the mission statement I had in mind. I decided to wait and think about it.

The next day I glanced at the yellow piece of paper and there at the top it said:

"2012 Family Mission Statement: Baby Feet"

And I thought. . . y'know, that's a good mission statement.

Baby feet.

Don't get caught up in "accomplishing" things (that will be a frustrating experience right now). Don't worry about doing everything. Enjoy this tiny, precious, adorable, smiling, messy, silly, whingeing, thrashing baby who opens his mouth as wide as he possibly can to let out baby gurgles, show off his brand new two teeth, and see if he can chomp my whole face.

There, I just looked over at him, leaning on his Daddy's knee, and he smiled wide-eyed back at me.

There's my whole mission: baby feet.