Sometimes I find myself sitting behind the wheel of the car thinking enough with the hockey. Enough with the chauffeuring, the gas-guzzling, the game-to-game. Enough with the broken windshield where a nice new one used to be. Sometimes I find myself staring at my reflection in the mirror thinking enough with the wrinkles, the puffiness, and the sleep-deprived eyes. Enough with the loose skin and the unstoppable gray hairs. Enough with the laugh lines that look anything but happy.
Sometimes I find myself standing in front of an empty refrigerator thinking, enough with the meal prep: morning, noon, and night. Enough with the burn from bacon grease when making breakfast and packing lunches at the same time. Sometimes I find myself gazing at photos of tropical beaches and secluded getaways thinking... Enough with the perpetual ticking clock, enough with the steady stream of demands, the dust bunnies, and homework. Enough with the needs of others that never seem to be satisfied. But then something happens to pull me out of my negative abyss and set my head on straight.
Sometimes when I say, “Enough,” I forget that enough has two sides. My life’s little joys – like nightly hugs, sweet faces, and looking into the eyes of the ones you love – are the soft side of enough. They are the cool side of the pillow on a sleepless night. In one turn, these little blessings soothe away the bad, the draining, and the ugliness of my life.
These small little things are enough—enough to get me back up to do it all again tomorrow.
And although sometimes I find myself thinking, “I am done with today,” when it comes right down to it, there’s nowhere else I’d rather be.
I open my arms and hold him for a moment. And like an overextended inner tube stretched beyond capacity, my son is the key to releasing all that is pent up. I feel the pressure slowly seep from my body as my shoulders begin to relax.
“I’m glad that you are my mom.”
