…deep dive moments.
This week came in hot in all the wrong ways. A sick baby. An under-the-weather me who wasn’t sick, per se, but also wasn’t feeling 100 percent. An exceptionally busy week for all. Cold weather that I’m over and done with because while I love the cold, I only love the cold when it’s comfortable cold and not 20 degrees cold. There was no downtime this week. I don’t feel like I had any quality time with half my family. It was a hectic week, and it’s hard for me to find the joy in a week that left me feeling sleep-deprived, overstimulated, and not quite myself.
My typical Friday Four is all about my favorites from the week I’ve just lived, and it’s usually so easy for me to write. This week? Not so much. It wasn’t a bad week, but my brain is too tired for me to think of anything good.
Monday was our only evening at home in a week. Carter started track try-outs Monday, which means I’m in the pick-up line for Charlotte at 2, straight to the pick-up line for Ava at 2:30, home a little after 3, back to pick up Carter at 4. He has track four days a week, he and Craig have flag football practice two nights a week, Addy has two flag football games a week, and Carter also has two flag football games on Saturday. I went to one of Addison’s games alone this week because Craig and Carter had practice at the same time. We woke up at 5 Wednesday morning to get everyone to school and take Addy and Riley to Tampa for the day for Addy’s college campus tour, rushed home from lunch to get her to the high school in time to meet her team to leave her second flag football game of the week, which we also attended…an hour away.
An hour to her college campus from home, back home, and then an hour in the opposite direction for her 7 pm game, a very late dinner after her game, an hour drive home, and a very late bedtime all in one day…it’s a lot. Charlotte woke up sick on Thursday morning. I woke up unwell on Thursday morning. We still have one more night of practice, and Carter has two games Saturday.
It’s a week that feels a lot like a lot, even though so much of it was good (minus the illness and under-the-weather feelings).
That said, it wasn’t as easy as it usually is for me to find my four favorite things from the week, but I managed.
One: Good Sleep
While I didn’t get nearly enough sleep this week, what little sleep I did get was so good. I’m talking all night, deep, heavy, good sleep. I never sleep that well. Let me just take a moment to appreciate the goodness that comes from that.
Two: The excitement my oldest daughter has
Let’s go ahead and take a moment for me to tell you that I would love for Addison to change her mind about moving out and going away for college, but I know she won’t. I would love for her to stay home and attend school online and stay here with me forever and ever and ever and ever and ever…or at least until she graduates and moves away to start her adult life as a PR and Marketing rockstar.
But, she’s not interested. She’s moving out. She’s leaving home. She’s going away. She was accepted to her dream school, and she’s headed to university as a junior during her freshman year – and I am so, so proud of her. I might hate every thought of her leaving, but I can’t deny how excited I am for her, how proud I am of her, and how much joy it brings me to see her so happy. She’s earned it.
Three: Sick Snuggles
I hate when my babies are sick, but I do love the snuggles. I love it when Charlotte wants to be close to me when she’s not feeling well. I want her healthy, of course, but don’t think I won’t quit life and do absolute not one productive thing if she’s snuggling with me. That’s all I need. These kiddos are too busy, too active, for too many snuggles anymore, and I’ll take what I can get (but I wish they didn’t come with a fever for her sake).
Four: Not thinking about meals
Um…if there is a true winner in a week like this one, it’s the fact that I did not have to use my brain one time to think of a meal. Craig packs school lunches, and we were out for almost every other meal. That meant I didn’t have to make a decision, I didn’t have to choose, I didn’t have to clean or cook or watch Craig cook or clean…it was lovely. Being brainless and decision-making-free for a few days is what dreams are made of.
I think my point this week is this – even when weeks are blah and we don’t feel our best, which makes it so hard to see our best – it’s possible to still find the good inside the mundane and the overwhelm. It’s often small things, but that’s all right.
Next week will be so much better because everyone is going to be healthy and our nights won’t be so late (ummmmm….let me check the sports calendar and double check that one because I suspect I’m wrong).
Tiffany Raiford 