February just won’t slow down. I keep thinking it must be the end of the month by now, with everything that’s going on, but no, we’re not even to Valentine’s Day yet.
Pretty sure all I want for Valentine’s is chocolate ice cream and a nap.
Life has been particularly crazy these past two weeks and we’re just now—maybe—able to catch a breath. With a big work deadline for both Daniel and me, my two-year MRI, and planning for the rest of school year, it’s been go, go, go for the Archers.
When I haven’t been taking care of essentials like Nate’s clothes and cleaning toilets, I’ve been editing 180 pages worth of semicolons and sketching out lesson plans for the rest of the school year. Daniel's been working weekends and Nate is sick of playing indoors.
Then I had my regular brain MRI this week, which is always more than a little nerve-wracking. This one marked two years from my surgery, so it was a big milestone. We drove up to Bethesda on Monday for the procedure and we had to go back Wednesday for the results (which, thankfully, were great). The whole ordeal is familiar, but emotionally draining.
In the meantime, the kitchen gets buried and the last fork gets used. I eat lunch on an orange kid’s plate, because I don’t care. We’re not slobs, it’s just that the debris of life piles up a bit when things are crazy. Oh, the toilets are still clean and we have clean clothes to wear.
Everything caused a break from reality, apparently. I woke up the day after driving to Bethesda the second time, eager to get back to normal life. After a couple of hours of our normal morning routine, I realized that it was Thursday and not Wednesday like I thought. Not only was my major work deadline the next day, but I also had not worked out my lesson plan for the next day.
Eventually, it all got done, but I was tired, a little irritated with myself, and very happy to see this weekend arrive. Despite my planning otherwise, we ate pizza for lunch and dinner on Friday since I was so tired I couldn’t see straight and that’s what was in the fridge. Nate thought he’d gone to kiddie heaven. It was food, it was good, and it worked. And now the unearthing begins.
Daniel washed a monster load of dishes tonight and I finished another today. I did two loads of laundry, which means Nate now has his favorite pants to wear again. We made a grocery store run and even got to sleep in a little. Little by little, we’re claiming a bit of calm again.
Right now, we’re in a season of busyness and hurry, but this isn’t our preferred way of life. But that’s ok, because it’s it’s a season and it will end soon. Work will slow down, school will end, and we’ll able to enjoy a quiet morning in the outside sun.
Maybe I’ll even remember what day of the week it is.
