October was a busy month in our Mountain Family. We had two birthdays, two camping trips, Halloween, school, preschool, work, doctor appointments, a broken rib, and a flooded basement.
Apart from the birthdays, Halloween and camping, none of that list is fun or exciting and all of it requires work. Loading, motivating kids, driving, packing, unpacking, costuming, cleaning, cleaning, cleaning – it feels like life has hit hard these last few weeks.
We all know life has its ups and downs. We’ve all given and gotten advice on how to handle it. Simplify. Enjoy the Journey. Look on the Bright Side. But what about those times when you don’t want to look on the bright side? What about walking into your flooded basement after a five day camp out when you haven’t showered and your kids have been crying for the last hour in the car?
There are times when I want to curl up in a ball and cry. So I do. (Actually the crying was minimal, mostly I just vented to my mom on the phone.)
But then what? A moment of chaos strikes, hits like a hurricane, and leaves the debris in its wake. How do you react? What do you do next?
If you’re like me, then you wipe away your sniffles and do something. The smallest thing. The easiest thing.
I gave my kids a bath, then I took a shower. After that I made dinner while Mountain Dad ripped up soaking carpet in the basement. I did one load of laundry, then another. We moved one piece of furniture, then another. Slowly, step by step, we dug ourselves out of the chaos together. The basement still has no carpet and my to do list is a mile and a half long, but I know I can take small steps and eventually things will get done. That’s my only option.
Yes, sometimes life sucks. Yes, sometimes it’s a lot of work. That applies to everyone whether they have kids, live in an apartment, are 17 or 79. Everyone will have unexpected chaos in their life at one time or another. It’s okay to slow life down, focus on only the most necessary actions and realize that somethings are nice and good, but don’t need your attention right at that moment.
That’s what I’ve been doing for the past few weeks. Sometimes when real life hits, it hits hard.