The Reset Button
Every person needs to find out what their reset button is. It doesn't matter if you're a mom, a man, a woman, single, or married, everyone has a time when they need to just reset their day. Maybe you missed your train, or your alarm clock didn't go off. Maybe you got yelled at or got in a fight with your mom. Sometimes your system just starts to crash, and the only way to avoid a complete hard drive failure is to reboot. Mine started to crash today after I accidentally fell asleep on the couch while Matty was playing nicely in the living room. This should be the perfect time for a tiny cat nap, right? Toddler plays quietly with his blocks and Mommy quickly dozes. Anyone who has ever seen a toddler knows where this is going.
Toddlers have something called "stealth mode". It gives them the ability to a.) realize that mommy or daddy isn't paying attention, even when their back is turned, and b.) gives them the power to perform all sorts of mayhem silently. In the 10 minutes that I napped - I checked the clock - Matty had managed to pull all of the DVDs and CDs off the bookshelf, empty a pantry shelf of all it's contents, remove all of my tea bags from their little paper wrappers, throw splenda packets all over the floor, cover the floor in coffee stirrers, and decorate the floor, the cupboard door, and the couch in red frosting. It was 9am. I was sensing that it was going to be a long day. I was tired. I have a cold. I'm 28 weeks pregnant and finding it hard to sleep at night. I felt the meltdown coming.
I don't know about you, but I have a tendency to continue my day as it has started. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed is a very appropriate phrase for me. If I start my day calm, cool, and collected, I usually continue it as so. But if I have a terrible-horrible-no good-very bad sort of a morning, ala Alexander, I look ahead to a dark day. Which is why I have discovered the need for a reset button. And it has to be a physical type of button-push. I can't just talk my way out of it. It requires an action - it requires involving my senses.
For me, this reboot comes in the form of a good cup of coffee. It is amazing what a good strong cup of coffee can do for me. The smell of it brewing, the warmth of the mug, the soft sounds of the percolating. Somehow taking a sip is like starting the day over. I sit down on the floor, take my first drink, follow it with a deep breath, and I let the tension roll off my shoulders. It's an active reset - I have to want it and be willing to let go. I take another sip. Matty runs over to me with a book. My day has been reset. And you know what, it was a good day.
Toddlers have something called "stealth mode". It gives them the ability to a.) realize that mommy or daddy isn't paying attention, even when their back is turned, and b.) gives them the power to perform all sorts of mayhem silently. In the 10 minutes that I napped - I checked the clock - Matty had managed to pull all of the DVDs and CDs off the bookshelf, empty a pantry shelf of all it's contents, remove all of my tea bags from their little paper wrappers, throw splenda packets all over the floor, cover the floor in coffee stirrers, and decorate the floor, the cupboard door, and the couch in red frosting. It was 9am. I was sensing that it was going to be a long day. I was tired. I have a cold. I'm 28 weeks pregnant and finding it hard to sleep at night. I felt the meltdown coming.
I don't know about you, but I have a tendency to continue my day as it has started. Woke up on the wrong side of the bed is a very appropriate phrase for me. If I start my day calm, cool, and collected, I usually continue it as so. But if I have a terrible-horrible-no good-very bad sort of a morning, ala Alexander, I look ahead to a dark day. Which is why I have discovered the need for a reset button. And it has to be a physical type of button-push. I can't just talk my way out of it. It requires an action - it requires involving my senses.
For me, this reboot comes in the form of a good cup of coffee. It is amazing what a good strong cup of coffee can do for me. The smell of it brewing, the warmth of the mug, the soft sounds of the percolating. Somehow taking a sip is like starting the day over. I sit down on the floor, take my first drink, follow it with a deep breath, and I let the tension roll off my shoulders. It's an active reset - I have to want it and be willing to let go. I take another sip. Matty runs over to me with a book. My day has been reset. And you know what, it was a good day.
It happens in the blink of an eye...wish I'd been there to pick-up :) I hear Nespresso brewing a perfect cup; a smile, a story, a hug. I love you!!! Mom
ReplyDeleteKali you are amazing!!! It is so true how kids can be do active in such a shot period of time..and it is so true that coffee can help turn a day around! My "coffee reset" was Sunday at 4:30am when Chloe decided to wake up we finally got out of bed at 5:30 when I realized she was not going back to sleep. Got up fed her, made myself a cup of coffee & toast and we ate and played till 7am then back to sleep and up and at it again at 8:30 to get to church. These moments when pregnant, tired, and a bit crazy at times are going to be fondly remembered years later but in the moment they can be really hard! Thank you for sharing your heart it is always fun to read!!
ReplyDeleteThank you for sharing, Jacque! I was just thinking the other day how I miss your bubbly smile and laugh at church! Happy 3rd Trimester!
DeleteYay! Glad you could do that. Make sure you have lots of coffee when your 2nd one comes. . . . . .Looking forward to seeing you guys in November. Love you! Enjoy today!
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