Shaking it up. . .

Sometimes we get tired.

I don't mean sleepy or exhausted, I mean tired.  Tired of your routine, your work outs, your house, your friends, your kids, your husband, your . . . (fill in the blank).  That's how I've been feeling lately.  Tired. I find myself getting into the car to go to the grocery store or anywhere and I fight the impulse to just keep on going.  California is calling my name . . . or forget that, Mexico is sending me love texts constantly. 

And it's not because I don't love my people, I do.  I just . . . I just want to go . . .

Last night as I sat by Phoebe who was studying away as I was about to climb into bed, I said, Hey, how are you?

She usually just says fine and goes back to her studying, but last night, as I smoothed her hair away from her face, she looked up at me and sighed. 

Mom, she said, I feel off.  Everything is blah.  I don't know what's wrong with me.  I don't like anything. 

I smoothed her hair and just looked at her tired beautiful face and said, Yeah, I know. I feel the same way.

And I know John does to.  He's got a short fuse and his smiles are pretty rare.

Celia cries pretty much every day when I pick her up from school and Piper complains constantly about EVERYTHING.  Finn gives me a thousand hugs a day and says I wish I could just stay home with you.   And no one wants to do homework . . .  ever.

Is this Spring Fever?  Because for the first time, it honestly feels like a sickness.  It's not happiness at the lovely change of season; it's a wilting dragging us down no energy blah life is boring sickness.  We all feel like CRAP. 

Sure we've had a bit of stress lately (seven months of unemployment does that to a family--just like adjusting to a new job), but we should be ok, right?  The stress is gone.  Why aren't we dancing around wildly singing out praises and feeling free from all worry? Why are we so tired and pretty much brain dead?

I'll tell you.

Because . . .

we

need

a

break.

When I sat for a few more minutes with Phoebe, smoothing back her hair just like I'd come from rubbing Pipers head, hugging Finnegan for 5 minutes straight,  listening to Celia's ideas about (well, to be honest . . . I zoned out for a minute, but I think it was about her hair?) something, and rubbing John's shoulders and telling him he was my favorite person in the universe (he is, hands down), I though, Yeah, we're all pretty much TIRED of life.

When that happens, when life pretty much stinks like Henry's old soccer shoes, you've got to get out of Dodge.  And fast.

I don't even think it matters where you go, just as long as you can feel like you've escaped from you life. You don't need to spend a lot of money. In fact, sometimes, you just need to shake up your routines.  For us, instead of cleaning up dinner, we just stood up and walked out the door and went for a drive up the canyon to see the sun set on the mountains.  It was stunning and we all came back happy.  Piper didn't even resume her tirade on the stupidness of the new way they're doing The Renaissance Fair at Ridgeline and Finn laughed about what Piper was saying instead of teasing her until she cried.  Celia, well, she just went downstairs to take a bath (again . . . different that our normal routine).  Sure, we're all late getting our night jobs done, but hey, we saw the mountains turn bright pink and for a second, we forgot anything but that.

Now, if you do have money . . . well, I'll tell you where I'd like to escape to:

Scotland (I'm doing that 93 mile hike through the highlands)
Nova Scotia  (because Sarah Shaw and I were going to meet the loves of our lives there . . . Oh MacKenzie I'm coming!)
Appalachian trail (any which where--just there . . . )
China (because it's nothing like I've ever known)
Italy (because they're my people . . . plus, I love gelato, pasta, pizza, bread, and olive oil)
Iceland (you know why)
Hawaii (if you've been there, you know why)
Mexico (because there are nudy people there, duh)
Australia (to eat vegemite)
New Zealand (Legolas of course . . . though that horse-guy, he's fine too)

 . . . to name a few.

Until then, I'll keep mixing up things in these parts.  Who knows, tomorrow might be the dance party night (and you are totally invited) . . . or a head stand contest (I'm so going to win!), who knows. What I know for sure, we all need breaks . . . and there is nothing wrong with that at all.