This week our air conditioner stopped working. As the heat inside our house got higher and higher, it seemed to have a snowball effect on everything else. The dishes didn’t get done, the laundry piled up, the toys seemed to multiply, and our usually boisterous house turned to chaos. Everything that anyone did seemed to bother everyone else. There was no playing together, no alone time, no peace.
As I attempted to get some things cleaned up, I could feel myself getting ready to blow and sadly, I couldn’t stop it. I yelled. I slammed Olivia’s laptop closed. I stomped out of the room. I cried.
Then I remembered to breathe.
I packed up the kids and we went to my parents. It was cool there and that already made a huge difference in everyone’s outlook on things. But I could feel how disconnected we were.
I turned my cell phone off, put away the laptop, and went swimming. Being in the cool (kinda cool) water with my kids brought me back to reality. We swam for over an hour- we chased each other, swam laps, and jumped in. It was only us in the world and it was good. Afterward, we all got into bed together and went to sleep. The heat and exhaustion, the chaos and fighting, my yelling and crying- it all disappeared.
Sometimes when the disconnect comes, it’s not as easy for me to get rid of- sometimes I don’t see it right away. Thankfully, those times are really getting farther apart.
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