The Most Inspirational & Comforting Stories of 2021
To wrap up December’s ode to our favorite things, it only feels right to land here, back on Mother Untitled. This community ultimately is the thing that keeps me whole. In all its versions—from personal blog, to community, to digital platform—over five years it has been my single greatest source of inspiration and comfort outside of my family.
Few things gave me as much joy this year than to hear from so many of you that the content reached you just at the right time and gave you a sense of confidence and calm during transitions. One of the biggest transformations has been to our site content in the expansion of voices and expertise we’ve been able to share. It is a fun place to be to now to be equal parts creator and consumer of Mother Untitled.
On that note, here are some of the most loved pieces on site this year.
“I saw a pattern of annoyance shaping my daily life. Scowling when someone cuts me off in traffic. Tossing the phone after an annoying work email. Criticizing my family members over things that don’t really matter at all. I call this terrible condition one of chronic annoyance: the feeling of little things spiraling into giant boulders, ones that form an impenetrable wall around your heart until you begin to lose perspective.”
“‘Passive aggressive behavior erodes your trust that your partner will communicate openly when something is bothering them,’ says Angela Amias, a licensed independent social worker in Iowa City. ‘In order to feel safe in a relationship, we have to be able to trust that our partner will express concerns to us directly, so we can use that information to make changes.’”
“And it worked; I was having fun and feeling energized in very ordinary moments of washing my face or washing the dishes. It also got me out of worry loops and let me just savor other positive thought streams.”
“One of the biggest limiting factors and beliefs in stay-at-home motherhood is that we think we can’t ask for help because we’re not doing paid work. The reality is that we’re doing incredibly important and valuable work while unpaid.”
“In speaking with loads of other women and friends who have adjusted their careers when they became moms, the question seems to be a universal stumbling block. In the early days, it’s a moment when suddenly self-doubt and self-consciousness can rear up and you come head-to-head with the shift from your previous work identity to your new one.”
“I talked to three communication experts about how to make small talk more playful and less painful for everyone involved. Whether your goal is to make friends, network for your career or business, or make the preschool pickup line just a little less daunting, read on for actionable steps you can take today.”
“I used to be the coworker who took pride in responding the minute an email landed. Inbox Zero wasn't a goal; it was something I demanded of myself every single day… The truth is: work and life aren't always perfectly balanced. But when you feel drastically imbalanced, that's when you know it's time to step back and reassess. These are the tactics I use to get closer to my ideal balance as a working mother.”
“I was someone who filed an article while in labor; someone who could not physically sit through a movie without working because she felt guilty for ‘wasting time;’ someone who sighed with irritation anytime a child walked into her office; someone whose other children no longer clamored to sit by her on the couch because the space on her lap was always occupied with a computer instead.”
“Ending a mom friendship that began when your babies were in diapers isn't easy. It's painful and awkward and you probably won't ever be fully certain that you did the right thing. Here were the signs that it was time to step away, plus what I learned from the experience.”
“As a grief specialist myself, I didn’t recognize my own brand of grief: the loss of a professional identity, and along with it, a sense of purpose. The ability to go to the dentist on a Thursday morning reminded me just how much I no longer had.”
I am so thankful for the women who took this space and have made it bigger by making it a collective mission. I can’t wait to see what we create together next year. I wish you and your families a safe and bright new year.
