The Nicest Thing I Could Do for Myself

I saw this on Facebook. It was a prompt that someone had shared.( By the way, do you like Mom to the Screaming Masses on Facebook? I apparently picked up 63 new followers over the weekend – I'm thrilled, but not quite sure how so many people found me – but would hate for you to miss anything exciting. So like the page already!)

But the question came: what is the nicest thing you could do for yourself today? The nicest thing I could do for myself actually already happened. I unplugged, decompressed, and took a nap.

I had to get up at 4:15 this morning, to take one of my children to catch a bus. She went to New York City for five days with her performing arts school, and I'd be a liar if I didn't tell you that I was insanely jealous. I really wanted to go with her, and as this is a yearly trip, I will probably go next year. But this year, I decided to let her have her own space, and get to know things without her mother tagging along.

But, oh, NYC. How I love it.

When I got home, it was time to get everyone else up for school, And that was an entire bundle of mess. It was an early morning – we have band before school two days a week – and it makes for super stressful get out of the house 20 minutes earlier routine.

When I got home, I realized that I didn't feel well. In fact, I had the beginnings of a migraine coming on, and I knew I had two choices – take the medicine and suck it up, or take the medicine and go to bed.

And so I went to bed.

I turned off my phone. I turned off all email notifications, pulled up the covers, and slept. For three hours. I slept like I'd been poleaxed.

When I woke up, I felt much better, although I was a little groggy from the migraine medication. It felt like a tiny vacation, a time to be good to me. I think all of us need to do something today or tonight just for ourselves. It makes us a better parent, a better spouse, and a better person overall.

What will you do?

Comments

[suburbancorrespondent]

Hmmm, cancel my dinner-making plans and just order pizza for the kids? Tempting, anyway...

[Lesli]

This post came just at the right time to make me feel better about my moments-ago decision to not juggle a bunch of balls to attend a meeting this evening, a decision that I was feeling guilty about even though the meeting is for something I'm already completely involved in and up-to-date on. I almost feel like how I felt when I had a snow day as a kid...surprise free (relatively speaking) time!

[Lauralee]

I would love to go to the gym for a half hour a day, but it ain't happening during flu season... lol.

As to how people found you - probably the same way I found you... you were linked on Yahoo! news last week at the end of an article (the article was about the *new* Duggars - an African American family who homeschools their many children). It was a link to the top 10 things you shouldn't say to a mom of a big family. HILARIOUS! Since then, I've got you tagged in my daily reads, and I'm sure many other moms of *big* families do also.

Keep up the great work!

[Soni]

I am a firm believer in "me" time. If you aren't taking care of yourself, how in the world can you be a good caregiver to the rest of your family? Kudos to you for taking that nap. Sometimes, that is all it takes. The to-do list will wait for you.

[jennifer]

Good for you. moms need a break from all of the things we are expected to do. I like to tell my hubby i need me time and just go.

[maggie]

I was very excited to leave my job today, come home and have a glass of wine. Oh, the simple things!