It Had Been a Long Day (Guest Post from Bunkers Down)

I don't recall how I first stumbled upon the blog Bunkers Down, but I'm delighted that I did.  There's something exceptionally inviting about Ami's beautifully-crafted words: they draw you, making you feel like you're sitting and talking with a friend.  A friend who's smart and deliciously funny.  A friend who would share tomatoes from her garden.  A friend who recommends great books for you to read.  A friend who's wise and understanding and encouraging.

Although I've never met her, Ami's stories and nuanced observations about daily life make me feel like I'm a part of her life, and for that, I count myself remarkably fortunate.

Without further ado, please let me introduce today's guest post from Ami at Bunkers Down. 

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It had been a long day.

My seven year old daughter, Eden, had asked questions nonstop, mostly concerning her favorite topic: Harry Potter.  Why did Harry want to go to Hogwarts?  Did you go to Hogwarts?  Can I go to Hogwarts?  Does it cost money to go to Hogwarts?  Why?

My daughter Trinity, who is eleven going on seventeen these days, spent the greater part of the day following me around, suffering from a somewhat rare, but potentially terminal case of ennui.  I’m bored.  I’m so bored I’m going to DIE.  Are we going somewhere fun today?  Why not?  Why are we the only family in Indiana who never does anything fun?  Throughout the day, Trinity shot down every suggestion of something to do with a dismissive sniff or a decidedly teenage-worthy roll of her eye.  For a brief moment I thought that if this boredom doesn’t kill her, I just might.

My oldest child, Will, appeared to be in good spirits and was able to keep himself occupied, but this apparently rendered him incapable of finishing his chores.  After the sixth time of telling him to get to work on cleaning the toilets and sinks, my son looked at me in surprise and asked, “Wait!  You want me to clean the bathrooms?”

I practiced deep breathing.

I counted to ten, dozens of times.

I visualized my happy place.

And I’m happy to say that by the end of the day, Eden’s curiosity was not squashed, Trinity did not die from boredom (or an irate mother), and Will, eventually, managed to make the bathrooms somewhat sanitary.

At nine o’clock I put everyone to bed (including the husband.) Not everyone was happy about this development (the husband was ecstatic) and there were a few trips made downstairs for a glass of water or a last minute hug or to search for a cat to snuggle with.

Eventually all was quiet upstairs and I was left to myself for a while. 

But, as I had mentioned before, it had been a long day and I soon felt my bed calling me.  So I trudged my way upstairs and saw this:

 

There is a feeling that comes, no matter how long your day was or how tired you might be, when you see the four people you love most in the world all coexisting peacefully (albeit unconsciously) in one place. 

It is a feeling of miraculous disbelief that these are your people, your family.  A feeling that this is exactly where you belong, even if you don’t quite fit on the bed at the moment. 

With this feeling washing through me, the frustrations of the day finally melted away and I was again able to be grateful for this calling of being a mother that I have been blessed with.

Then, with a smile on my face, I made myself a nice little bed on the couch and got some sleep.