On Friday we went for a walk to the library because IT'S OPEN and we could GO INSIDE!!!!! Although we could do curbside pickups, it had been closed to "in person" for almost two months so this was VERY exciting for our family, as evidenced by the fact that we hauled home 28 books. And by "we" I mean "Dave." Anyways, I digress...
On our walk, I commented that when we got home, I was going to bed. I was tired. And the kids commented, "You're always in bed." It's somewhat true -- working full-time has been really exhausting for me this time around. I think it's partially the work and partially the inherent COVID stress about being in the schools right now. The constant shifts in the school year -- Are we in person? Are we online? Are we about to be moved to online? When is March Break? (It just got moved back a month to April). When will education staff get vaccinated? (Maybe in Stage 2 -- again, April.)
Plus dealing with all the parent stress -- Are the schools safe? Yes, they are. No, they aren't. Maybe they are, but what if they're not? <-- These are all comments I've heard from parents over the past six months. And this doesn't even touch the tip of the iceberg when a kid exhibits "symptoms." Needless to say, while I have loved working in the schools, it has been exhausting this year. So yes, I spend a lot of time in bed. I'm not always asleep, I am also getting a lot of reading done.
However, the kids and Dave came up with three other "states of being" for me and I thought I would share them here. They also commented that I'm either working out or walking. Yes, this is true. I am almost done my Camino trail (whoo hoo!) and so I've been dedicated to getting my daily kilometres in. And if I'm not doing those, I am shoveling, which I also add to my Camino trail. On Saturday, I got 2.6 km (1.6 miles) just in shoveling snow. (This may also contribute to me being so tired all the time!)
The third state of being they defined for me was "working." I've been working full-time since the end of August and I'm just not used to it. I've loved seeing our family income increase, and I'm loving the experience I am getting, but it is still not a "state of being" I'm used to applying to myself. And I don't think my family is used to it either :)
They decided that the fourth state of being was "baking applesauce jumbles"! Hahahahaha!!! While it's true I do love those cookies, and am often baking them, I also bake buns, challah, muffins, and other kinds of cookies.
I tried to convince everyone that "blogging" should be a state of being for me but I realized that my blogging hours are my early morning, time to myself, when everyone else is asleep hours. Thus, they don't really get to see this state of being. For example, I woke up at 6:30 this morning (Sunday) and am writing this post and everyone else is still asleep -- and likely will be for another hour.
So there, according to my family, are my "states of being." To be fair, about ninety percent of the time, I will likely be doing one of these four things. The rest of the time I am doing laundry, putting together puzzles, making a grocery list, or buying tulips!
What are your main "states of being"? More interestingly, how would your family describe them? I also think it would be interesting to try this same type of exercise once Covid has ended and we can get back to more regular routines.
Love this and give yourself sometime- juggling a full time job and family is not easy and it is exhausting- so rest when you need to and don't judge yourself AND I love that you have been making Applesauce Jumbles- makes my heart happy :)
ReplyDeleteWorking full-time was exhausting. I'm now in a position where I will be working five hours a day for a few weeks and I'm looking forward to seeing how the extra time will change my days.
DeleteFun...mine are probably reading, blogging, housework...and I'm not sure!
ReplyDeleteHmm, interesting - mine are probably working, exercising, food (shopping and prep), and falling asleep somewhere.
ReplyDeleteHahaha! Falling asleep somewhere. I love it!
DeleteMine are homeschooling, watching movies, and cleaning / decluttering. :)
ReplyDeleteI love this! This pandemic has been SO hard on parents, let alone mothers. There was a NYTimes article on just this. I am glad you have your states of being and that they are an area you feel good and your family sees them as part of you too!
ReplyDeleteThis is delightful and it makes me wonder what my kids would say mine are! I think mine would be running, baking, reading, and laundry. LOL
ReplyDeleteThis is SO interesting! Reading and working out would definitely be 2 of mine and cooking would NOT ha. I'm going to think about this!
ReplyDeleteI love this idea! Reading would definitely be one of mine too. Working my 9-5 and organizing/decluttering would probably make the list and then, I'm not sure! May have to ask the fam!
ReplyDeleteSuch an interesting post. I think it would be cool to write this post a couple times a year and compare. I think the effect of COVID on people mentally is something that we're going to see for quite some time.
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