Shaking it off

Well. That was an unpleasant little trip through the dark corners of my psyche. Thanks to all of you for your comments of support and solidarity. It’s edifying to hear that a lot of you think the whole daycare-crapout situation was ridiculous – at least it wasn’t entirely me!

I spent quite a large part of the long weekend trying to wrest control over the things I can, and looking for the courage to accept the things I can’t. Cleaned the bathrooms, vacuumed, washed the floors. Boxed up our winter boots and hauled them down to the basement. Threw out half the stuff in the funny-shaped cupboard in the corner that barfs out misbalanced stacks of lidless tupperware and disposable aluminum pans and stray paper plates every time you open the cupboard door. Bought a new battery for the cordless phone that dies if you leave it off the cradle longer than an hour or deign to talk more than 15 minutes. Mowed the lawn, front and back, AND hauled out the weedwhacker to do the edges. Bought a funky new Hound Dog dandelion puller after reading a review of it in the paper (and it was worth every penny of the $25 I spent on it. I filled half a bag of dandelions in less than an hour! Disclosure: link built through my Amazon Associates account.) Bought a bleeding heart perennial to fill a gap in the back flowerbed.

In short, I tried my best to eliminate as many things as possible that have caused me some form of grief in the last little while. And still found time to read a chapter or two of a good book on my new swing. AND watch that stellar hockey game on Saturday. Thank goodness for long weekends.

This post may well qualify for induction into the “Boring Posts Hall of Fame”, but I’m trying to cram something in before bringing Tristan to school. I’m home with the boys today since we are newly caregiverless, and I have to tell you, on a sunny May day it’s not a bad time to be out of the office.

Sincerely, thank you to all of you who offered a word of kindness in the last couple of days. The good news is, I think my words are unstuck again, and I’m feeling a lot better about the chaos that wasn’t banished over the weekend. I mean, life without at least a little bit of chaos is kind of uninteresting, right?

Thanks, friends.

Author: DaniGirl

Canadian. storyteller, photographer, mom to 3. Professional dilettante.

10 thoughts on “Shaking it off”

  1. I love the tone of your post Dani. I didn’t have the greatest weekend over here, and I need words like yours to get me out of the funk…especially since we are to be mired in drizzle for the next 3 days :~(
    Great idea to focus on the areas of your life you can control. Very empowering.

  2. Dani – i really needed to laugh before my interview. Picturing your funny shaped cupboard barfing out lidless tupperware was all that was necessary to make me snicker.
    Thanks :o)

  3. Ridiculous, yes. I’m always struck by how little difficulty some people seem to have in letting other people down. It’s part of the home-care reality that both sides can give one another notice at any time – there is no real security on either end. BUT – to agree to provide care to your children just long enough for you to give up your spot elsewhere and then back out? That’s extreme.

  4. ouch. sounds like it was a rough weekend. I was computerless and so couldn’t send my thoughts of support. I hope that the daycare search ends well…
    enjoy the sunny may day off…

  5. Wow. That’s rough. Love your “control what I can” mantra. That’s one that I try to remember when things are awry. (ps I can see myself in my floors after the work I put in over the weekend and there are several bags of yard waste providing evidence my havoc was not limited to the indoors ;-)). As a closing thought.. have you asked at the nursery school if they have any leads on caregivers? Good luck… hope it all works out soon.

  6. Holy cow! I’m just catching up and have to say that is ABSURD. {{{Dani and Beloved}}}
    Glad to hear you like your dandelion puller. They’re all the rage in my neighborhood, too.

  7. {{{{{{hugs dani}}}}}}
    like you, when chaos hits me, I dwell on the mundane tasks that I CAN have control over and accomplish (like cleaning and weeding), very therapeutic

  8. Wow. I hadn’t checked in since Friday and so much has happened. I am so very sorry about the caregiver. I am angry as well. What an unprofessional way to conduct oneself in one’s career. And what makes it all so hard is that it is YOUR KIDS that are at stake here. I am sorry. Really, really sorry that this happened.
    It’s good to know you are feeling better today and, uh, GO SENS! but I know this is a long road. Chin up and courage, m’dear.

  9. So sorry to hear about your daycare situation! Glad you’re not taking your boys there anymore, though… I’m sure you’ll find a better place for them, and in the meantime enjoy your day(s) off with them!
    On another note… nothing is more important than our children, and their health, and in the grand scheme of things I’d say we are all so blessed.
    My heart is bleeding with sadness over the death of Elgin-Alexander, the 3 year old little boy who just passed away this weekend at home, surrounded my his family. He is one of my best friend’s little cousin. I got the news over the weekend and am just crushed thinking about it. I’m sure you have read/seen it/heard about it… say a little prayer and let us all count our blessings….

  10. I go away for a few days and…
    Oh, why can’t you just live next door to me so we can kvetch over bourbon and Pocky?!

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