I Ate the Elephant...

Well it's been about seven days since my last post and it seems like a million things have all happened at once. The old adage: "When it rains, it pours" could not be more true. I will spare you all the ugly details but the short of it is that an "elephant" crept into my life and everything unpleasant seemed to happen all in the span of one week. In the midst of all the crap, I learned a few things though.

The first thing I learned is that just when you think you absolutely cannot handle anything else, you surprise yourself and somehow find a way. I truly thought I was at my wit's end. I felt spent, beaten down, stressed, and about 30 seconds shy of climbing a clock tower and taking people out at random. So do you know what I did? I clocked out. I cancelled everything planned for the day, left the kids with my husband, didn't tell a soul where I was going and spent the day with the one person who could truly understand what I was feeling...me.

I treated myself to a pedicure, then to coffee at the nearest Barnes & Noble, then to a movie - complete with popcorn and all! I put all those worries and stresses aside (as I knew they would still be there at the end of the day), and I just took time for me. It was glorious! Not only did I feel renewed, I felt as though I could see things clearer. All those problems that seemed insurmountable, now seemed conquerable. After my "me" day was done. I went home with no one the wiser.

I learned that for me, I need to have more "me" days. I tend to overload myself and in the end everyone suffers. I also learned that I am so much stronger than I thought I was. Most importantly, I learned what my limits are and that I have to respect them. As expected the elephant was still there, so I did the only thing I could do...I ate him...one bite at a time.