For Tired Moms...

This post is going out to all of the tired moms out there.

Because I am one of those tired moms this week.

I was wallowing in my own little puddle of misery this morning. Feeling tired and overwhelmed and lonely and blue. (My husband is traveling all week, our new puppy is high maintenance, the puppy and the kids keep getting me up all night long so I'm getting no sleep, etc...)

Then I thought I'd add a layer of guilt to that by reminding myself how lucky I am and how charmed my life is and how I have no business whatsoever feeling any of these things because, comparatively, I live on Easy Street.

Then I added a layer of failure on top of the guilt because I'm "supposed" to be living in the moment and being mindful and if I was being mindful I wouldn't be dwelling on all of this junk and I'd feel better. Then I remembered that I'm not "supposed" to be having "supposed to" thoughts, because it's irrational, unhealthy thinking that leads to misery. And then...

Well, you can see how I ended up deep, down deep in a hole of ickiness.

And then I remembered...

I'm just f@#*ing tired. Like most moms.

And it's tough to be sunshine and light when you're tired...and overwhelmed...and lonely.

So I know that this too shall pass. And tomorrow will be a better day...or at least day after tomorrow will be. And I know that the sun is shining and it's a beautiful day outside. And I know that I really do have a great life.

But today I'm gonna let myself feel the yucky that I'm feeling. And that's okay. And tomorrow I'll pull myself up by the bootstraps, like my mama taught me, and I'll go kick that day's ass.

So to all you mom's out there who are feeling the weight of the world and the toll of sleepless nights and the burden of not enough help...to all you moms who don't have a back-up person--maybe just for today or this week, or maybe never...to all you moms: I salute you.

I salute you. I send you love. I send you strength and patience and understanding. I send you a hug and a pat on the back. I wish I could send you a babysitter, a cleaning service, a trip to the spa and a hotel room just for you. But mostly, I send you respect for all you do and permission to feel what you're feeling right now, regardless of whether you've got it easier or harder than me today.

No guilt. No judgement.

Go ahead and feel happy or sad or overwhelmed or whatever. Just be kind to yourself. Treat yourself the way you'd treat your best friend when she's having a bad day.

Until next time, here's wishing you a good night's sleep, a hug and kiss from a sweet kid, and a little peace.

Namaste. (Because my soul really does honor yours.)