Lessons from a Rough Night
The other night was rough. Like, breakdown, rip your hair out, give up kind of hard. Don’t ask me why, because I have yet to figure it out, but Little Man decided to wake up at 3:30, and was awake from then on. I had literally gone to bed, exhausted and mentally preparing for a long day ahead just three hours before. The last thing I wanted was to be awake with a child who kept alternating between trying to play and wrestling with me while screaming angrily. He wasn’t sick, or in pain. He was just awake and he needed sleep, so he was angry and grumpy. And so was I. Finally, around 6:00, close to when my alarm was going to be going off anyway to help Keegan get ready for work, I gave up, put on a show for Little Man and stepped into the kitchen to make coffee. I heard a noise and came out to find one of my favorite potted plants dumped all over the carpet. I didn’t handle it well, I’m embarrassed to say. I was a super grumpy, and not very nice mama for quite some time during and after this occurred. When Keegan came out of the bedroom from getting ready for work, he found me with Little Man on my hip crying while I vacuumed the mess up. I half-yelled something like, “We’ve been up since 3:30, and now he does this! I cant do it!” and then broke down crying. It was pretty ugly and not a great start for anyone. For the next little bit, I allowed myself to be in a grumpy, bitter mood. I had a lot to do, that I mostly really really didn’t want to do. You know, that icky life stuff that you put off as long as you can, because you hate it so much? So, I just wallowed in self-pity for awhile and grumped around like I had a right to act like that because of how the night went and what I had to do that day. Again, it was pretty ugly. Then, I realized (partly through texting the husband and partly after just thinking for awhile) that I was the one choosing to be a grump and let everything pile up and ruin the day. I was choosing to be miserable, and I could also choose to make the best of the situations going on and have a good day. Little Man eventually fell asleep around 7:30 or 8:00 am again, so I used that time to get ready. I put on an encouraging mom’s podcast that I’ve recently discovered while I got ready. I used that as “me” time, and it gave me some encouragement and perspective. Then, even though it was almost time to head out for my day of activities, I made myself sit down and read one of my favorite Psalms, and my daily devotion. Guess what? My perspective and attitude made a serious turnaround. Sure, I was still quite exhausted and not overly excited about the day ahead, but I felt positive about life again, I felt like I could manage my responsibilities and motherhood a little better. It truly made a difference. I guess I’m just trying to be transparent and honest here because, I want to remind all of you that you aren’t the only ones that have tough days. You aren’t the only one who loses their cool, or melts down from exhaustion and frustration. You aren’t the only one who sometimes feels like giving up. You are not alone! Attitude has so much to do with the outcome of circumstances or rough days. If you choose to change your mindset, and focus on the good and the positive and pushing forward, you can make things better. Next time you have one of those days, I want to encourage you to do this: 1) Take a deep breath and remind yourself that what you’re feeling is temporary. 2) Listen to an encouraging podcast or uplifting music. Either one of these things can be a total mood changer. 3) Dig into God’s Word. You’ll find hope, encouragement and peace there. 4) YOU ARE NOT ALONE!! Finally: grace, grace, grace. Give it to yourself, your kiddos, your husband and everyone you encounter, because everyone deserves a little more of it.
