I saw a video the other day, and I haven’t been able to shake it.

I was watching women who were running a marathon. Two of them were neck and neck, just steps away from the finish line. In a beautiful, unexpected moment, they slowed down and reached for each other’s hands—choosing to cross the finish line together.

But in that brief pause… a third runner pushed past them and claimed the win.

The two women stood there, stunned—disbelief written all over their faces. The moment they had worked so hard for slipped away in seconds… all because they took their foot off the gas.

Not because they weren’t capable.

Not because they didn’t work hard enough.

But because… they paused.

And I couldn’t help but ask myself—how often do we do that in our own lives?

Here’s a proverb that has always stuck with me:

"Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up knowing it must outrun the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning, a lion wakes up knowing it must run faster than the slowest gazelle or it will starve. It doesn't matter whether you're the lion or a gazelle—when the sun comes up, you'd better be running."

Life especially as a mom, has a way of slowing us down.

Not in obvious ways… but in quiet ones.

We get busy taking care of everyone else.
We get comfortable in routines.
We put our goals on the back burner “just for now.”
We tell ourselves we’ll pick it back up when things calm down.

And before we know it… we’ve taken our foot off the gas.
Now hear me when I say this—

It’s okay to rest.
It’s okay to pause.
It’s okay to breathe.

But we have to be careful not to confuse resting with settling.

Because of the dreams you have?
The goals you set?
The life you imagined for yourself?

They’re still waiting on you.

So maybe today isn’t about running faster than everyone else. Maybe it’s just about making sure you haven’t stopped running altogether.

Maybe it’s about checking in with yourself and asking—

Am I still showing up for the life I said I wanted?

So, whether you feel like you’re ahead, behind, or just trying to keep up…

This is your reminder:

Don’t stop.
Don’t slow down too soon.
And don’t give up on something that still has your name on it.

When the sun comes up tomorrow…

Take a deep breath…

And run.

P.S. Love, Mom💜