One long, never-ending day of laundry and cleaning and tidying and feeding and washing and wiping and cuddling and soothing. And then if you're really unlucky, the nights join in too.
And before you know it you're exhausted beyond all reason and it's hard to find the point in living out each day. Because it's all the same and the day when it's supposed to all get magically easier or better isn't within sight.
Some people talk of cups. And that's just it. It's so easy for your cup to be empty, continuously, when you're a parent. The constant, relentless need to be "on" and caring and loving and doing, is inherently draining.
I love my daughter beyond what words can describe, but sometimes I just really want a break from it all. I just want to curl up in bed for a day or two and sleep or watch Netflix or not even do anything at all. Just be.
But that's just not possible. And even though I feel like this would help to fill my cup (which I'm sure it would), there has to be something else during these long days that gives me purpose and a reason to look forward.
And so with lockdown finally over, we've started going on daily adventures. They are really small, insignificant adventures in the big scheme of things, but they mean a lot to us and it helps to get me through each day.
Whenever it's not pouring with rain we go to a park. Or a beach. Or the library if it is pouring (though this one has gotten tricky lately, as my toddler loves to run off and pull handfuls of books off the shelves). Or a playdate at a friend's. We just go somewhere, anywhere, beyond the four walls of our house.
We are lucky to have an amazing backyard too, however, it's not quite usable yet. You see, when we first moved in a few months ago it was covered in blackberry bramble so high and thick that you couldn't even walk up the stairs to get into the garden. My husband has been working so hard to clear it all so that we can get to landscaping, but it's not safe for our toddler yet. It's still incredibly steep and overgrown with blackberry in some parts. It makes me miss our old, flat, much smaller garden sometimes. But it will get there though and come summer we are very excited to work on it.
So that's why we get out of our own space so often (and our own heads, or mine at least). We've gone out in the rain and had a blast. We've explored so many different parks in our area and have our favorites now. We've joined our local playcentre so that we get plenty of messy play opportunities. It has been fun! And it's definitely helped my mood to escape into the outside world.
We are so thankful for these small adventures and for our time outside. Not only has it made me feel better, but my toddler loves it too. She's so happy standing in the freezing waves at the beach or picking daisies and watching birds at the playground. We even took part in an annual bird count survey yesterday which was a lovely, mindful activity (with a few breaks of course) to do together. I hope to start a nature journal to document our adventures too.
Here's to the small adventures, for they bring big joy.
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