Bad Day Gone Good

What is about Fridays?

When I was, ahem, younger, Fridays were always full of anticipation. I’d leave work a little early and go to happy hour, or I’d get started on a weekend skiing or camping trip. Now that I’m a wife of eleven years and a mom of nearly seven years, Fridays are different. WAY different. Instead of being the start of something exciting and exhilarating, Fridays are the end of something exasperating and exhausting.

Last Friday I posted about a nightmare day. Today started out equally as rough. I had a bazillion tasks on my “to do” list. This weekend we’ll be at a birthday party for most of Saturday, family coming over for most of Sunday, and playgroup at our house on Monday. I had no groceries for said events, the pool needed to be cleaned, and we needed toys for the new sandbox and chairs for the new patio.

So I got a little crazy this morning. Had a mini-breakdown. Lots of crisis-izing. Then something wonderful happened. The landscapers finished our patio. It didn’t seem like it was going to be done, but the final steps came together very quickly. It is beautiful. Peaceful. A Sanctuary.

I went out after dinner to clean the pool and realized it didn’t need to be cleaned. (I am amazed at how powerful the filter system is on this pool. Haven’t touched it in a week and the chemical balance is perfect and the water is crystal clear.) So I sat on our new patio, watching my son and husband play in the sandbox (which is built in next to the patio - VERY cool!) and thinking about my role in bringing the whole pool/patio/lanscaping to fruition. My role was very minor. I managed the process. I made phone calls and bitched at contractors. I wrote out checks. The landscapers came up with most of the design and did all the work. PHAT Daddy thought of the sandbox. And he’s been working his ass off to pay for this monstrous project. If you’re reading this, dear, know that you are so completely loved and appreciated. I am in awe of the backyard you have provided for this family to enjoy.

So this Friday ends on a happy note - not with the anticipation of my younger years, but with the satisfaction of appreciating the good place I am in at this point in my life.