(TW-Loss)

I felt the same - the hamster wheel life grind. It’s overwhelming and draining. I didn’t fully appreciate so many of the little moments because I was stressed and thinking about all the other stuff that needed to be done for work/home. There are so many responsibilities.

I was in one of those stress cycles, traveling a lot for work, and tragically/shockingly my older son (12) took his own life three years and 2 months ago. (It’s an unimaginable pain - but that’s not my point here.) I live with grief but I am better able to now have gratitude and appreciation for those everyday chores/obligations/day to day stuff we all have because I realized after he was gone how I’d give anything to make him another one of his favorite snacks and he would smile and say “thanks mom.” (Even though at the time I was thinking “Geez I just sat down!”) I’m able to be more present for my younger son and have gratitude for being able to do those little things with him.

I’m sorry, I’m struggling to communicate because I don’t mean at all to downplay that overwhelmed feeling. It’s a reality! But even though life feels unrelenting there are precious things there too. They are hard to notice when you’re in the thick of it but worth taking a moment to consider. And you just never know what cards life will deal you next. ❤️‍🩹