The last week has been stressful. Between two kids there were 5 hours of dance pictures, 9+ hours of rehearsals, 6+ hours of recitals, a birthday, and a whole week of life in between. I had to figure out how to get two kids dance ready while also working, meals and snacks on the table, rides to and from rehearsals lined up. It was a lot to handle.
I'm mentally and physically exhausted after the week we had. Amazingly, nothing was forgotten or overlooked. A lot of coffee was consumed and my phone was filled with reminders and timers. All week long. Miraculously, I got away with zero migraines, despite the high levels of stress I felt.
Simply typing out how long this week has been for me is theraputic. There's a release to it. I was grateful to myself that I had the sense to take Friday off so I could recharge for a few hours before the flurry of costumes and theatre make up hit again. I made a note in my calendar to take recital week off completely next year, so it wouldn't be so damn overwhelming.
Like many people, I had many a realizations while quarantined during the pandemic. I didn't want to be so busy in life that we didn't have time for the important things, such as family dinners, relaxing nights, walks after dark, doing things that fill our buckets and not things we were doing to please others. Yet that's exactly where we found ourselves this week. I can't say I'm okay with it, nor do I have a way around it (for this instance, at least). But the week is over, we made it through, and I'm ready for a new week to begin. A much less stressful one at that.