I was mad at the world last night. I stormed around the house, ignoring my husband and kids, my head buried in my phone, and when I did come up for air, it was only to toss out a snippy comment or criticism.
I didn’t even want to be around me.
What made me the most upset was that I couldn’t figure out why I was so angry or how to get out of my funk.
It wasn’t until my kids went to bed and my husband and I were sitting quietly in the living room that it dawned on me.
“Oh my gosh!” I said in my head. “Do you realize this is the first time you’ve been able to sit and breathe in four days? You’ve been busier this week than the past two months combined! No wonder you’re grumpy. You’re running on fumes!”
It only took ten minutes of silence to see what had been building for four days. That’s it; ten minutes! Life had been so full that I didn’t think to stop, even for just ten minutes, and get some perspective.
It was like I’d been treading water for days and suddenly realized a row boat was floating next to me.
The last hour before bed was spent snuggled up on the couch with my husband, watching an episode of Modern Family and letting go of the past four days. I still felt drained and extra sensitive, but I wasn’t grumpy anymore. And when I woke up this morning, I felt like myself again.
Today’s another busy day, but that’s all it is. Another day. The difference is that I’m not going to wait until I get snippy and critical to take my cue. If I start to feel overwhelmed by the laundry list of things I must accomplish before sundown, I’m going to stop and take ten minutes to lie at the bottom of that boat and look up at the blue sky.
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