Girl, Give Yourself a Breather & Take It In

 I laughed today. Man, did I laugh today. 

It all began at Walmart. Yeah that's right, Walmart. Jacob and I headed off to the good ole Wally World after work today to get our shopping for this weekend taken care of. Mandey, my BFF, was also there, as we'd collaboratively made a list of things we would need for our long weekend at the lake and hatched a plan to get it packed up this evening so that remainder of the week could be smooth sailing for all of us (lawdy, I hope I didn't jinx us all by making that prediction). 

If any of you have seen the three of us together than you can agree that we're quite the trio and always up to some sort of shenanigans. In no time, we were up to our normal antics. Heading toward the pet department, Mandey and I (mainly I), were quickly derailed at the summer aisle. After all, you never know what you might need for a weekend at the lake. After perusing the aisle and picking up a $3 pack of temporary tattoos for the kids, we headed back in our original direction to find Jacob, only to find him already headed back our way. As we turned in the middle of the aisle to head back the other direction, Jacob quickly took the lead ahead of us and was hustling to the other side of the store. Challenge accepted. As I watched my husband and my best friend compete for the lead, no doubt pulling out silly tactics to knock the other one out along the way, I started laughing. And when I say laughing, I mean full on giggles. You'd be pleased to know that these shenanigans continued for the entirety of the trip ; Jacob racing ahead to check items off the list and us forgetting something, or getting sidetracked by a shiny object. 

We made our way to the checkout line and fear not, shenanigans again ensued. On Jacob and I's list was a plethora of produce, so Mandey was done checking out well before us, leading her to begin to pull items from my cart at lightening speed. The woman working the self checkout lines began to laugh and said, "I didn't know that how things worked." My response, "It's our MO. If you only knew."

We all got back to the house and unloaded our weekend supplies. After chatting for awhile, we all decided it was time for dinner and went our separate ways. 

After an hour long shopping trip, neither Chef Boyardee or myself were motivated to find or prepare dinner, so we left it up to the kid's to decide on what they'd like. After a short debate, KFC was crowned the winner and we drove through the drive-thru for their famous family feast. 

Sitting at the table, Bryn quickly made her way through her mashed potatoes and moved on to her chicken wing. However, before eating it, she asked the chicken to forgive her for what she was about to do. That's right y'all, my seven year old asked her crispy chicken to forgive her. She didn't want it to feel hurt by her tearing off it's crispy, fried skin. Tristan then responds, "you know it's dead...right?" HYSTERICAL LAUGHTER. Our conversation continued, with Tristan explaining to his sister that chickens continue to run around, even after their heads are removed from their body. Jacob also jumped right in, making a gaggle of dad jokes which revolved around chicken. 

Y'all, I couldn't make this up if I tried. The four of us were laughing so hard that we cried, completed with tears running down our face and the ever hilarious snorting. Good grief, my sides hurt. I feel like I've run a marathon, complete with an ab workout. But I'd be lying if I said tonight wasn't exactly what I needed. 

You see, this year has been a tough one for me, mentally. There were times I missed out on what was right in front of me because I was too full of anxiety or anger. But tonight, I feel so much lighter. 

The bills, the stress, the chaos? In some shape or form, they're always going to be there. Time on the other hand? You won't get it back. So take it and treasure it. Live it up. Soak it in. 

Indulge in laughter. As I did just that tonight, I realized that the laugh I give Tristan such a hard time for, it's an extension of me. Our high pitched shrill when we are tickled pink may be loud but it's also contagious. 

Set your alarm for 4:50am and meet your friends at the track on the other side of town, no matter how much you want to hit your snooze button. Get your steps in, take some time for you. 

Listen to your husband snoring in the bedroom off the kitchen, where you're currently writing your blog and instead of being annoyed, be grateful for the partner you have in him, a hard worker and a man who loves with everything he has. 

Let your seven year old daughter climb into your bed to fall asleep. And when she's thrashing around, pull her close and take in her scent. She won't be little forever Momma, hang on to it while you can. 

The laundry can sit another day. That email can wait for a response. The cleaning can be done tomorrow. And the weight you're carrying around, feeling like you're not good enough or put together enough, or accomplishing enough? Let it go. 

Girl, give yourself a breather, take it in and recharge.