The One Day I Have to Work Late…

Of course, the one day I have to work late is the one day something happens at home.

I called Anthony earlier and told him I would be home by 7. I was secretly hoping he would go home early instead of staying at work until his normal 5:30 leave time. Apparently, the universe had other plans.

At 5:05, Sam called me, and he was nearly in tears.

“Mom, Will fell on the floor and hurt himself. He isn't breathing very well, and he can't move from his belly to his back.”

Of course, my heart immediately dropped.

Will has asthma, so hearing that he was having trouble breathing was enough to send my brain into overdrive.

I started talking to Sam and asking questions, trying to figure out exactly what happened. I kept asking Will what happened, but the story wasn't really making sense.

I tried calling Anthony.

No answer.

Finally, I told Sam, “Give me the phone. Let me talk to Will.”

“Will, how did you hurt yourself? Tell me the truth.”

“I was on Aubrey's skateboard and fell off it.”

Okay.

That makes a LOT more sense.

I didn't understand the whole “I just fell” explanation.

Last week, Will had been on Aubrey's skateboard, and I had already told him to put it away. We do not ride skateboards in the house. And if you are going to ride one, you need padding and to actually be outside where you have room.

But apparently, he was showing off for his friend on FaceTime.

Because of course he was.

Anthony finally called me back, but by that point I was already almost home.

I did what every responsible parent does in a moment of panic...

I Googled.

And, of course, everything I read told me that trouble breathing meant he needed to be seen.

So off to urgent care we went.

I was convinced he had probably broken a rib with how hard he was crying and how much it hurt him to move.

Thankfully, urgent care was only $40,

The doctor checked him out and said he probably pulled something or bruised something, but thankfully nothing was broken.

Now he's sitting on the couch watching TV like nothing ever happened.

And I'm even further behind at work.

But he's okay.

And honestly, that's all that matters.

Why don't kids ever listen?

And maybe more importantly...

Why don't WE listen?

Why does something have to happen before we finally trust our gut?

Sometimes I think parenting is just a never-ending cycle of saying, “Please don't do that,” watching them do it anyway, and then sitting in urgent care wondering why they didn't listen.

On another note…

The first week of school is officially in the books!

Sam had some issues getting his parking permit because of a “lost book.”

Except...

The book wasn't lost.

The school just took three days to change it in the system.

Even after Sam paid for his parking permit, they STILL wouldn't give it to him because of the book.

It was incredibly frustrating and meant I had to drive him to school every day this week.

So my schedule has been completely thrown off.

Hopefully, by Monday, everything will finally be sorted out and we can get back into a normal routine.

The gym

Monday, I managed to injure my shoulder at the gym.

Because apparently I can't just go work out like a normal person.

I took Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday off to let it heal, but I was back at it today.

And honestly?

It felt SO good to be back.

I think with my new work schedule, I'm going to take the Friday 5:30 class off and do a later yoga class instead. I really need to start incorporating more stretching into my routine.

I think I hurt my shoulder because my arms were too stiff while I was doing weighted squats.

So apparently stretching is important.

Who knew?

Dallas

Dallas has been recovering from an ear infection and starts doggie daycare on Monday.

I still can't believe I am paying for daycare for my puppy.

Like… actual daycare.

For a dog.

But after coming home this week and seeing how bored he was, I think it will be worth it.

He needs to run.

He needs to be let outside.

He needs stimulation.

And apparently, he needs a social life.

If it doesn't work out, Sam gets out of school at noon or 1 depending on the day, so he can let Dallas out. We will figure it out.

And then there's me…

I've been reading my book for therapy.

Next Thursday will be my second appointment.

The last week and a half has been… strange.

I've been melancholy.

I've been thinking.

A LOT.

And honestly, reading this book has me second-guessing some of the choices I've made throughout my life.

Therapy has a funny way of doing that.

You spend so much of your life just surviving, moving forward, doing what you think you are supposed to do, and then suddenly someone asks you to stop and actually look at everything.

And now I'm looking.

At my childhood.

At my relationships.

At the choices I've made.

At the things I thought were normal.

At the things I accepted.

At the things I never questioned.

And I'm realizing that maybe there is a lot more to unpack than I ever realized.

So that's where I am right now.

A kid on the couch recovering from a skateboard injury.

A teenager dealing with school and parking permits. A child who apparently can't make it through a week without getting pulled over.

a daughter taking all AP Classes.ver.

A puppy starting daycare.

A shoulder that apparently needs stretching.

A job that keeps me busy.

And me…

Sitting here reading, thinking, questioning, and trying to understand myself a little better.

Life is never boring around here.

But at least tonight, everyone is okay.

And that's enough.