So we just bought a new Honda Civic (bright cherry red, haha – I would never have thought I’d ever own a red car, but yet, here we are!) and it reminded me of something that happened six years ago.
I was pregnant with my fifth child and there was no way we could all fit into our little Toyota Camry. After all, we would have seven in our family, and we only had six seats!
After spending so many nights researching what kind of car to buy, we settled on a Honda Odyssey.
Soon after, we went car shopping and purchased a white one.
On the drive home after picking it up (it was in a neighboring state), I started noticing something really crazy on the freeway.
Almost surreal.
All of a sudden, I noticed there were Honda Odysseys EVERYWHERE. We passed them left and right.
Was this some sign that we made a good decision? Were they being sent to say, “Look, now you’re in our club!”?
I pondered on this for at least an hour as we drove.
Then, finally, it hit me!
There weren’t more Odysseys on the road… not at all… My eyes had just been OPENED and I started paying attention to them!
You see, after many nights of researching, I had become attuned to all things Odyssey. I even became a little obsessed, you might say.
I knew how much they cost, what gas mileage they got, what features they had, and even the differences between the different LX and EX models.
So when I got on the road, driving home in my new Odyssey, my brain had re-wired itself to focus on the very car it was studying, and my eyes found every Odyssey on the road!
There weren’t more Odysseys… I had just seen dived deep into their world and became aware of them.
So what does this have to do with preschool?
So many times women tell me, “I can’t start a preschool. Everybody needs daycare. Nobody stays at home anymore.”
And I always tell them the same story I just told you.
But at the end, I add:
Your eyes have just been focused on what YOUR reality is… you only see what is in your world. If you’re a working mom, it makes sense that you don’t believe there’s many stay-at-home or part-time working parents anymore. You believe almost everyone works, so who would need preschool?
But I promise you – there are TONS of stay-at-home moms and part-time working parents who are actively seeking, needing, and wanting a preschool experience. Just because YOU might not be that type of person doesn’t mean they don’t exist. They are just like the Odysseys on the road… they’ve always been there – I just didn’t notice them.
These people are just as real as anyone in your sphere of knowledge… you just had blinders on them and couldn’t see them (because you’re so focused on your own reality and your own life.)
But all of a sudden, when you take the blinders off your eyes, your eyes are opened to a completely different world – a world where people exist OUTSIDE of your norm – OUTSIDE of even your awareness.
Just as I dived deep into learning everything there was about Odysseys, I encourage you to dive deep and learn everything there is about starting a preschool so your eyes can be opened and you can see the possibilities that exist outside of your current reality.