There are times when utter exhaustion hits us when we least expect it. For me, that happened this evening. Seeing as I’m usually associated with the Energizer Bunny, it did surprise me.
I’d been up and running from early this morning. One task ran into another as items got checked off my list and the work got done. Along the way, each of my children and I received a text from my husband that he would likely be delayed in Europe longer than originally thought. Our oldest daughter, who’s visiting, took the news hard, as she’d hoped to be able to spend some time with her dad while here. And our youngest son was also upset.
As I have the entirety of their lives, I tried to buffer our kids from the sad news by making myself more available so they wouldn’t feel the sting of their dad being gone. I took time off work to go to lunch with my daughters and granddaughter. And later, when it came time for me to head to my writing critique group meeting, I made the executive decision to blow that off to spend the entire evening with our kids.
At the time of my decision, our daughters were out running errands. I texted our oldest with my surprise news. A few minutes later, she bounded in the house, beaming from ear-to-ear so happy with my decision. And when I shared with our youngest son, he literally did a double take then broke into a broad grin.
We planned to head out to dinner and loaded into the car. But our granddaughter soon doused those plans, too sleepy and cranky from not having taken her naps during the day. So, we adjusted and spent a cozy night in, just the five of us. We ate a yummy dinner in shifts to allow for Kai to be fed and kept entertained. And then we watched TV—all of us.
There wasn’t a lot of talking during the later. Wasn’t needed. Every now and then, I’d look away from whatever show was on and spy each of our kids, wearing content looks on their faces. Nothing warms a mom’s heart more than to see that her kids are happy. So, seeing that, my body let down. The flu I’d battled the previous week, my extra long weekend and the news of my husband’s delayed homecoming all slipped away. The exhaustion I’d been holding at bay set in as my eyes slid shut, me drifting off to a peaceful sleep, my children all around me, letting me catch up on the sleep I’d been lacking.
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