This is a time of year I can quickly lose perspective about what I really need. Yesterday, I went postal on my youngest child because he borrowed a clipboard after I told him not to. (Yeah, you read that correctly, a clipboard. It’s a very important clipboard, but that’s not the point.) The point is that I’m in the winter-in-New-England unstables, and just about anything can knock me over right now.

At this time of year, I’m like a dry sponge. I can swell at every little drop of liquid that life throws at me. And it seems like the only way to gain control over how those drops affect me is to keep my sponge filled. When my sponge is full, there’s simply no room for anything else, and things just roll off my back…my sponge…you know what I mean.

At this point, I know that the best way for me to stay saturated is through rest and self care. But, there are times when no amount of rest and self-care are going to make the people I’ve been locked in a house with since November any less annoying. Therefore, I can be gentle with myself about my reactions to other people’s behaviors. Behaviors like swiping clipboards and placing garbage right next to the garbage can, but not actually IN the garbage can.

I know very well I’m going to long for these days once they’re over, however, let this post serve as documentation of just how incredibly draining this whole parenting process can be at times. Again Team, it was a very important clip-board! But I’m grateful for the reminder that if I’m continually feeling bent out of shape over here, there’s a good chance it’s not me, it’s not them, it’s just winter. This too shall pass. 

It must be something in the March air, I wrote this post in March too…
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