It’s November and THANK GOD.
Okay, that might have been a little more desperate than I meant to sound. But honestly, I have secretly been waiting for it. You see, we moved into our new home August 31. We braced for back to school, unpacked, moved furniture, guided children through new routines. We mapped out routes, recalculated morning routines, tried to fit ourselves into our new home and new life at a breakneck pace. We looked for belongings while rearranging said furniture while parenting, working, tidying, cleaning and unpacking. We just kept doing, and doing it all, all day long.
Suddenly, cold weather loomed and I was shopping for boots, mittens, and Thanksgiving dinner supplies. More days, more nights. the two conferences, with a Halloween party for good measure. Shopping, packing.
October held a birthday in our house – yay for our eight year old! He’s tall, funny, clever and makes us proud. We were thrilled to celebrate him, but it was one more thing, you know? And in my determination to not let it slide under the radar, I have to admit that it took up more mental space than it might have normally. I love this kid, and no way was I going to let his birthday slip by, lost in the chaos of a move. But it meant setting aside other things I needed to do to be sure the day felt like a real birthday. We also opted to go away for a family weekend instead of having a party – new to a school means an October birthday feels rushed for party invites. Given the choice, our son chose a weekend in the mountains over a party with friends. We’ll owe him a play date with a few friends in the new year.
Our weekend away was wonderful, but was complicated with the birthday boy swimming into the side of the pool, splitting his head open in a minor, yet gross sort of way. Off we went to the Banff hospital, where we were looked after nicely and the boy all patched up. We came home to unpack, rest, and get things organized for Monday. Breathe. Then Halloween.
You can feel what I’m talking about, right?
Yeah. So. All of it was important, all of it was too important to miss, too important to gloss over. I feel like I’ve been at 110% for four months. September was awesome, October stellar. But thank heavens they are over. I want time to breathe, catch up, make sure we are settled in before December. I want time for tea in the afternoon. I want to get back to eating healthfully like I have been all year – except for the last month or two. I want a wee bit more sleep.
And so, with a sigh of relief, I would like to welcome November perhaps more warmly than I ever have before.
(If any of you remind me that my daughter’s birthday is at the end of the month and another major holiday “just around the corner!” you’ll be on my list. We’re not going there…yet…)
Anyone else sort of relieved to be here?
Oh, and may I offer you some tea?
I’ll enjoy a virtual cup with you. Happy November even if I’m not feeling quite as zen as you are.
Oh Jen. Just hold that cup in both hands, let the warmth seep in, breathe in the aroma and then sip deeply. Sigh. Repeat. Happy November.