Last night I was out on the back patio hurriedly typing away on my laptop trying to finish one work task or another. Even though it was evening, it was still pretty warm outside, and as I worked away, I had intermittently shed my sweater, baseball cap, and purse that I had on when I initially plopped down on the outdoor sofa to start working.

As I worked away, I was half paying attention to my daughter, age 9, popping in and out of the house, until finally she jumped through the patio doorway and yelled “Tada!” I looked up from my screen and saw her standing in front of me wearing my hat, my sweater, and my purse–across the body just like I always wear it. She started snapping selfies with my phone. “Just like Mommy!” she proudly beamed as she continued snapping photos. I smiled and half-laughed, though fully amused at this spectacle. After she took her fill of photos, she sighed. “Whew, it’s hard work being Mommy.” I laughed again. And then she pranced into the house to show her brother.

And of course, this whole scene sent me down a rabbit hole right there on the patio, lap top open and humming on my lap. My daughter wants to be just like me. What am I showing her? Who is the woman she tries so very hard to emulate? What does she see daily when she observes me? I answered these questions for myself, and to be honest, I didn’t like all of my responses. But, that little introspective exercise served up a heap of motivation. I want my little girl to know that she had a mommy who went for it with all of her heart. I want her to be able to say that she had a mom who lived life fully, taking every opportunity to fill in the space on this earth that her potential carved out for her. So, as Robin Arzón says, “decide how bad you want it, and proceed accordingly.” Here’s to our future, Baby Girl.

What is Flash 15?