A Time Out

Some days are bad days.  You get up and dressed; brushing your teeth you dribble toothpaste down the front of your shirt and it won't wipe off.  Or you go out to your car and it won't start.  Two weeks ago I walked out and found I had a flat tire!  (hello, AAA?? Help!)   The boss is cranky, and it affects your work day.  You get home and the kids need supper, and oh yeah there's a project due tomorrow and can you take me to the art store??   Ugh.   We've all had many days like these.  

When everything seems to be going wrong, that's when we need a time out.  If you've raised kids, when things aren't going well for them, when kids get cranky, they start acting out, which calls for a time out.  Sometimes adults need them too. 

Craving a little solitude isn't wrong, it doesn't make you a bad parent or bad person.  It's a part of who we are and how our needs crave to be met.  And sometimes just a quick 15 minutes can make all the difference in your day, in the moment.   

When I walked out and saw my flat tire, I called AAA for help, called work to let them know I would be late -- I figured it would be half hour or more!! - and of course it always happens on the day when I'm the busiest.  But while I was waiting for the repairman, I sat down and turned on my local PBS station.  They have a channel where they show beautiful photos of interesting local places and play classical music.  It's not my favorite "go to" thing to listen to, but in that moment of anxiety over fixing the car and being late for work, I managed to carve out some solitude.

And it turns out, the mechanic arrived when he said he would, I was back on the road and only 9 minutes late for work!