Where did a year+ of my life go?
So I started this blog… I dunno, a year and a half ago? I started it when I became a mom.
Once I had a kid, I got busy.
I blinked for a moment and my baby was a toddler. They aren’t kidding (not totally sure who “they” is — everyone who is older than you?) about how quickly life goes by. The thing is, I never believed it as a young, pre-thirty-year-old, non-mom person. When you have kids, you lose a bit of yourself. You become the secondary character in your own life, and your child is the star. That sounds kind of horrible and terrifying when I spell it out like that, but it’s true. And the thing about secondary characters, is that you can go whole episodes, even whole seasons, without making an appearance or saying an important line…so the time goes quickly for you. This may sound just awful to a young person whose world revolves around themselves (AKA my younger self), but…honestly? As a mom, you just don’t care. You are so overwhelmed with all-consuming love for your new little movie star, that losing yourself feels totally worth it. I guess it’s just life’s way of making way for the newer generations and allowing them to thrive. Life needs secondary characters just as much as it needs stars.
The positive about all of it (in addition to the overwhelming sense of love you feel for the tiny star in your life), is that when you lose your sense of prioritizing yourself, you also gain a great deal of patience. Suddenly, the agro-drivers don’t bother you anymore, because they seem so insignificant in the scheme of things. “Are you in a hurry? Don’t care, I’d rather my kid live than you get somewhere five minutes faster, tailgate me all you want.” The hassle of running an errand to the grocery store is not as much of a hassle, because it’s just a thing that needs to be done (“My son needs whole milk and string cheese. Right now”). Even a lack of sleep is undaunting, because you didn’t get any sleep at all with a newborn, and you somehow came out alive (“I’ll sleep when I’m dead”). You also gain a lot of compassion for other people in general, especially other parents. Suddenly, you’ve survived a battle that only other survivors can truly comprehend.
What was I rambling about again?
Not sure, it’s 5ish AM and one of the few quiet moments I get to myself was interrupted because my 16-month old realized I wasn’t in the bedroom and woke up, so now he is sitting in the crook of my arm.
Oh yes, I remember now.
The other day, my neighbor’s mom was out watching the grandkids (a three-year-old girl and a boy who is a month older than mine), and after we exchanged a few friendly words of banter, she left me with a pearl of wisdom: “Once you have kids, the days are long, but the months are short.”
Very true. When you become a mom, the days can be exhausting. Your entire day revolves around someone else. They are the rockstar, and you’re just the support staff. The days feel so long, and yet still go so quickly when you’re busy. Blink and an entire season has gone by already.
Alright, time to put this little rockstar back to bed.
The days are long, but the months are short.
