I’d like to say that it’s just like being a mom on any other day but that would be an outright lie. There is a striking surge of news from internet feeds, all trying to beat down my door, all demanding attention. Through the years, I’ve become familiar with the tone of these news cycles. They are meant to incite fear. Fear reinforces helplessness. You can’t be a mom and be helpless. Not these days. So I meet this deluge of stories with the one thing I can do: I create. I create the atmosphere in the house—calm, safe, loving. I create nourishing food as much as I can. I create paintings, stories and conversations: we are not powerless, we are not at the mercy of what’s going on around us. We are free agents, we create our own world.
I’ve had some discussions in the past regarding my political stance. Are you with this party? Are you that team? And I’ve always told anyone who asked my opinion this: to make good decisions every day for the betterment of my being—all layers of it, seen and unseen—that’s my political ideal. Not everyone understands it, but it’s ok. They think it’s ignorance, I say it’s a practice of sovereignty. Change from inwards to the outwards. From personal to universal. I believe in the ripple effect.
How’s it like being a mom these days?
I’ve got clarity to thank; otherwise, I’ll be drowning in a sea of obligations. There is housework, kids (and pets) to feed, relationships to tend, a community to be active in, and a painting business to uphold. My youngest is 5 and doesn’t go to school yet. She expects to be considered in every single thing that I do and yesterday threw a tantrum because I took a shower and she was already hungry. There is a cacophony of voices once the other two arrive from school and yes, I do hide in the bathroom where I can get 5 minutes of quiet. This is what clarity taught me. My priority is a peaceful home: all subsequent decisions follow from there. So if it’s 5-minute bathroom breaks to center myself, so be it.
What I’m thankful most about being a mom these days is the support you will find no matter what path you choose to take—that is the gift of the Internet. Connection with like-minded people is the one thing that every mother (or every individual, for that matter) needs to thrive, regardless of time, place or culture. That keeps us grounded, that keeps us human.
How’s it like to be a mom these days?
To end, I’d like to share that I am typing this very early in the morning, crouched in the bed, before my youngest wakes up. Because as soon as she does, it will be pancakes, walks, flowers, songs, and never-ending stories about noses and giants and… you get the idea. I go to bed exhausted but fulfilled. That is the goal. To do the best we can do, every single day. That’s what it’s all about, right?
Who am I?
Karen Arevalo Vizcarra is drawn to things that tend the soul: creating, laughter, cozy spaces and coffee. She is a mother to 3 kids, 4 cats, 2 dogs and 1 husband.
