The Monkey Mind of Motherhood

A comparison between two moments, years apart.

Sometimes I find myself lingering in my Notes app, skimming through thoughts jotted down on a whim—random sentences without context or words captured in fleeting moments. After we had our son, in the thick of the newborn haze, I remembered one note in particular. So I scrolled back through, and when I found it, I inevitably reflected on how far we’ve come and where we stand now.

This post is different than my previous ones. Yet, I felt called to share it. I know in the moment of writing those words in my Notes, I never anticipated that they would see the light of day, but today, I want them to.

While these thoughts stem from motherhood, I believe the same message can pertain to many other areas of life. Time is indeed fleeting. Moments with loved ones are precious. That the particular day we just lived, we will never live again.

And so this is a reminder to calm our monkey minds. To remain truly present beyond our physicality—not allowing our thoughts to drift further than where our feet stand.

SEPTEMBER 19, 2023

As your mind races, time passes. Moments forever solidified. One day, you’ll inevitably think back to this moment. His warm body radiating against yours. His tiny hands softly resting on his face. One day, you’ll glance at him and irresistibly say “how did you get so big?” and you’ll think back to this moment. So, I urge you, to be here now. To calm the flooding thoughts and the endless to-dos. To refrain from mentally transporting yourself to another place away from this one. Because even when we’re physically present, our minds can often rob of us true presence. One day, you’ll think of this fleeting moment.

APRIL 30, 2025

Today, I am thinking back to that moment. To those challenging newborn days where you want to soak it all in amidst the beautiful chaos. And today, I find myself in a similar position. I could get up from this bed where I’m lying at 1 p.m., snuggled up with our toddler as he naps peacefully beside me. There’s still much to be done. Judo classes to take our daughter to. Groceries to be put away. Decisions to be made. Work to make progress on.

But still, I lay here with him reminiscing on the words written just days after he was born. While his body may not be as small. While his hands may not naturally rest on his face as they used to, we still lay together if just for a little longer. And I lay here, knowing one day glance I will glance at him and irresistibly say “how did you get so big?” and I’ll think back to this moment.

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If nothing else, I hope this post serves as a gentle reminder to come back to the present—a place we may physically find ourselves while our monkey minds are elsewhere.

As always, thank you for being here and taking the time to read, especially as I explore new ways of writing and figure out how I truly want to show up in this space.

Until next week,