DAY 16

Today took everything I had. It started off well enough, when the morning came way too soon but I managed to get to my 8am yoga class. For the first time in several weeks, my back did not feel like an 80 year-old's and my body felt so free being able to move where and how I wanted it to. It was so lovely. I have a theory on what has helped this shift for me, but I'm still testing it for now.

After yoga, I was able to reconnect with a great friend from college that I hadn't seen in at least 10 years. It was lovely to catch up while supporting her charity to provide warm socks to Chicago's homeless and those without heat in their homes. I got home just in time to host a playdate with my kids plus one. They played well together, we did a little lunch and tried to ease into a late nap time just after our guests left. Unfortunately, around 3:30, my 3yo woke up sick and I spent the remaining 4 hours doing lots of laundry, bathing and running back and forth to the bathroom. Poor thing. Of course, it's moments like this when I know my kids will need me for a long time, in times like this.

Letting Go: Today, I had to let go of everything when my child got sick, as a parent does. I let go of everything other than my child, whom I sat with and held in my lap, as a parent does. I don't feel the need to let go of anything else tonight, other than my tendency to stay up too late.

Gratitude: Today I am grateful for yoga classes that make me feel more vibrant, that connect me to my strength, flexibility and stillness, and remind me that I can experience these things not just physically, but mentally, emotionally and spiritually, too. And these served me well when I needed to be strong, flexible and still with my child.

Shooting For: In my 40s, I want to learn to thrive on less sleep. There's got to be a way to do it in a healthy way. Not major sleep deprivation, but if I could feel great on 6.5 hours of sleep, that would be awesome. Aren't there some kinds of monks that do this? I can't remember. Because I'm operating on about 7 hours of sleep and I'm a little embarrassed to admit that it doesn't feel like enough. But today was kinda tough.

Goodnight. ~k