Friday, August 28, 2009

Running short on virtues

There is a point in my day, that I know I'm done, when my patience is spent and my frustration is threatening to boil over and spill out. I hit that point every single day. Only, I never know when it will strike. Sometimes I make it until after dinner, sometimes until breakfast. I am forever trying to figure what I can do to keep from reaching that point. I have identified several triggers though and I am a better person/mommy for it.

Sleep. I need sleep. I am not now, nor have I ever been one of those people that can thrive on five hours of rest. Sadly, my children's slightly unpredictable sleeping habits are a major obstacle in my quest for sleep. With my husband living and working away, there isn't anyone that I can ask to pick up the slack when I am in desperate need of a nap or really feel like death is a better alternative to that unexpected 3 am feeding.

Kindness. When my children are having a good day and they are kind and compassionate to me, they reap the bounty of having it returned ten fold. This goes the same for my husband, if not double for him. Too quickly now are the ugly words and hurtful suggestions flying. I attribute most of what I am hearing to the stress of the new school year, but, this week has been particularly rough.

Organization. When my home is organized I just function better. When someone spills something (or a case of water) and there aren't dirty clothes or toys on the floor that just make clean up so much more difficult, I handle it better. Sadly, my children are "allergic to picking up." At least that is what they tell me. I am tempted to believe them because try as I might, I can't get them to exhibit any pride or responsibility when it comes to their belongings.

Of course, there are other things that influence my capacity for patience and compassion. Regardless though, since having my children, I find that I have been blessed with waking up each new day with more of the virtues that I had run out of the night before. How great is that, really? Pretty. Darn. Awesome.

2 comments:

  1. I love how you put that last part, about waking up with more of what we ran out of the night before. (Can I say we? It feels like you are talking about me too!) Pretty awesome indeed. The hardest part (one of the 50 hardest parts) is knowing what can make things better and still not being able to get there, like with your current sleep situation. So hard. We are not alone!

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  2. Great post. Awesome for you that you have identified things that help you. That is half the battle. I am the same way with organization. It just helps even the worst moments seem more bearable.

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