Let’s Look: AT THINGS WE’VE OUTGROWN

Happy THURSDAY, friends!

I hope you have all had the best week so far.  We arrived home yesterday from Walt Disney World and now…it’s back to reality (which is always great but much less magical).  My kiddos still have the rest of the week off for Fall Break and my plan is to squeeze as many “fall/Halloween/October-y” things into the next two days (as well as dental visits too because…#momlife).

I’m kicking off our Thursday with this month’s LET’S LOOK!

If you don’t know what LET’S LOOK is, once a month, Erika and I do a little link up where we “look” at different aspects of our lives (and then if you blog, you share and link up too!).  We have been doing this little linky party for years now, and it’s always one of my favorite posts each month because most of the topics are YOUR suggestions!

Just as a reminder, here’s what we have “looked at” in 2026 (all your suggestions!)…

In January, we looked at THINGS WE OUTSOURCE WITHOUT REGRET.
In February, we looked at WAYS WE’VE TURNED INTO OUR PARENTS.
In March, we looked at FAVORITE FAMILY VACATIONS.
In April, we looked at the HARDEST THINGS WE’VE EVER DONE.
In May, we looked at MAKING COUPLE FRIENDS.
In June, we looked at WHAT I’M MAKING MORE TIME FOR.
In July, we looked at OUR SUMMER SELVES (HOW IT’S DIFFERENT)
In August, we looked at THINGS WE MISS.
In September, we looked at THE FREE THINGS THAT BRING US JOY.

And today, we’re looking at THINGS WE’VE OUTGROWN.

Awwwww.

Hmmmmm.

You ladies picked these topics (not me!), and I’m not sure if you were looking for light and funny or deep and serious, so I sat here and just typed out the first things that came to mind when I thought of “things I’ve outgrown”.  It’s kind of a mixed bag.

I do think this post came at a really good time in my life because I don’t know if it’s my age (a few days shy of 45), the fact that I’m postmenopausal (sigh) or what, but I seem to fit every funny meme or stereotype out there right now and am embracing it fully 😉 .

Please note, I am definitely a work in progress.  Take everything I type below with a grain of salt.  I haven’t perfected these things, I’m just working on outgrowing them.

In no particular order, here’s what I came up with…these are things I’ve outgrown…

FOMO

Yup.  I have realized in my old age that I better just try and make the best/enjoy/savor/accept whatever I currently am doing and not what I “could be” doing.  Sometimes that’s harder than other times, but it’s a choice that’s been made (I’m not there, I’m here), so I can be sad about the “could have” or just embrace the reality of the “this is where I am”.

It’s just easier not to have FOMO…once I realized that, it was easier to outgrow it.

SAYING YES TO FAMILY COMMITMENTS

Oh I hope my mom isn’t reading today’s blog post…but if she is, she knows I have absolutely outgrown this one.  Here’s the deal…I have a big family who all have lived in the same area forever and ever.  Outside of my brother, everyone even went to college in said same area.  We are an awesome, amazing, loving, fun family with whom I always enjoy spending time with when we get together.  The thing is, I just don’t have the time to do all.the.things and when I do have the time, often, I just need that downtime.

I am the oldest cousin and have the oldest children which means that my family’s schedule just looks really different than everyone else’s.  One of these days, they’ll all catch up and see how bananas it can be balancing this stage of life and then guess what?  I’ll be an empty nester by then with oodles of time and they will all need to outgrow saying yes to me.  It will come full circle.  I know it will.

I used to cram extra family time into any blank space my family had on the calendar, but now, I don’t do that because my family often needs that blank space.  We do as much as we can with them when we can, but I have outgrown always saying yes and/or making our schedule any more full than absolutely necessary.

WAITING IN LINE

I have outgrown waiting in line.  Andrew has not outgrown this, so we butt heads from time to time.  I don’t know, one day, I just realized that I don’t want to wait in line any more.  I first realized this one night when we had an hour wait at a restaurant.  I realized standing there that it felt more like a cattle call than a nice meal and well, that isn’t very appetizing.

We have some favorite spots on Nantucket where, depending on the day of the week/time of year, you can get some big lines out front.  Andrew knows that if we walk up, and it’s 50 people deep, I’m probably not going to wait.  I just would rather do anything else besides standing and waiting around.  It beats me down.

GUILT

I have really, really, really, really worked on giving myself grace over guilt.  This is certainly something I’m working on and haven’t perfected, but whenever I feel guilty about a mom thing or how I handled something at work, as long as I’ve rectified it/made any necessary apologies/etc, I am reminding myself to cut out the guilt and give myself grace.  I’m not perfect.  I’m very human.  And guilt wins no battles in my life.

SNACKING 

Yeah, I think I’m over snacking.  I try really hard to eat a few really good meals each day and then that’s it.  I don’t need that afternoon snack.  That was more of a habit than a need in the first place.  I’ve outgrown it.

SLEEPING IN

I love the morning time way too much.  I have outgrown sleeping in.  When I sleep in, I miss the early dark hours with my coffee and Bible study.  I miss the sunrise.  I miss the quiet of my house.  I miss the frosty air or the birds singing.  I love all of these things way more than I do sleeping in.

SKIPPING THE GYM

I have become one of “those people” who workout every day.  What I outgrew was the feeling I had of “is this a workout day or not a workout day?”.  “If today isn’t a workout day, do I have time to make tomorrow one?” and on and on and on.  That narrative was a beatdown to me.  Once I realized it was just easier to get up and workout each day, it just all became easier.  There is no push and pull.  It just happens.  It freed up this mental load I didn’t realize I was carrying around exercise and fitness.

EXPECTATIONS OF ME

I’m over here doing my best, people.  I have quite a few balls in the air and really enjoy my “own time” as well…so I might not be the person you want me to be.  I’m over here trying to be the person I want me to be (and who she is based on Jesus), so I really can’t be who I want me to be and what you want me to be at the same time.  That’s too much.  If I disappoint someone or let them down, well, I hate that and my heart is always in the right place…but I just can’t focus too much on your expectation of me any more.

RUSHING AROUND

I have absolutely outgrown rushing around.  Do I still do it from time to time?  Yes.  Do I chide myself each time?  Without a doubt.  I don’t find rushing around an acceptable practice for me any more.  It makes me anxious, stresses me out, makes me irritable, causes me to forget things/make mistakes.  Nope.  I don’t like that.

ASPARAGUS

Not just asparagus…any food that just isn’t my favorite.  Is asparagus bad?  No.  Is it my favorite?  No.  I’ve outgrown eating things that I don’t love.  I want to really love everything I’m eating.  I don’t want to just think it’s okay and/or tolerate it.

BAD TV

I will quit a show so fast that your head will spin.  I have outgrown any TV that I don’t find exceptional.

BEING ACCESSIBLE 

I’ve totally outgrown this one.  Just because I have a phone with me pretty much 24/7 does not mean that I have to stop what I’m doing to answer it, reply to a text, answer an email, comment back on one of the dozen “group me-type apps” on my phone.  Others don’t get to demand my attention 24/7 at their will.

EXPLAINING

I’ve outgrown explaining.  Nos can just be a “no” without a long explanation.

SCARY MOVIES

I really value my sleep and a scary movie does that no favors.  I honestly don’t think I personally gain anything positive from a scary movie, so I don’t watch them.

RATTY PJS

I like a pajama set that matches.  It’s a little detail that just makes me feel nice when I go to sleep.

HOLLYWOOD

This is random but you guys, I’m over “Hollywood”.  I have unfollowed so many celebrities on social media and stopped watching awards shows.  I don’t dislike them, I just don’t think I’m their audience any more.  I think I’ve outgrown the movie star and instead replaced her with an influencer I find inspiring.  There was a time when I loved People magazine, but now, I just don’t care.  I’d rather spend that time reading a great blog post or home decor magazine that leaves me motivated and encouraged.

QUANTITY OVER QUALITY FRIENDSHIPS

There was a time when, especially as a young mom, I needed a lot of friends.  These friends were great for playdates and feeling connected to my community.  This season was so special and really meant the world to me.  Over the years though, I’ve really enjoyed pouring myself into fewer friendships but being able to really connect on a more personal level.  It’s hard to have extra time to pour into friendships, and for me, today, I would rather take any time I have to be a really, really good friend to fewer people than stretch myself too thin with many.

NOISY CARS

My husband and my older two children drive noisy cars.  They selected these cars and/or added details to these cars to make them a bit noisier.  They love how the noisy cars sound.  I can’t hear myself think.  I select cars based on quiet and cupholders.  I want my ride to be oh so silent…I don’t care if that makes me sound “old” (Smith Shull), I’ve outgrown a noisy car. 😉

STAYING UP LATE

Nope.  If you ever see me staying up late then you know that I’m doing something I REALLY want to do.  I have outgrown staying up late.  I am a morning person, not an evening person.  I want to go to bed early and sleep soundly.  I do not want to stay up late.

THE IDEA THAT SOMETHING IS “FOREVER”

The older I get, the more I realize that I’ve outgrown the idea of “forever”.  There are a lot of things in life I hope and pray are forever, but I’ve realized that we grow, we change, life happens, and well, things change.  We can plan for forever and pray for forever, but it’s also okay to pivot when we have outgrown whatever that “forever” was…because over time, things change.  I’ve outgrown being inflexible over this concept.

Whew!

Okay, those are some of the things I have outgrown.

Next month…

…we are looking at WAYS WE SHOW UP FOR OTHERS!

I think this is the perfect November topic 🙂 .

Okay, I would LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to know what you have outgrown!  Please, please comment and share!

Don’t forget, if you blogged along with us today, please make sure you link up below.

Have the best Thursday, friends!  It’s so good to be back with you today.  I always miss you when I’m gone.

I will see you back here tomorrow. xx