Monday, August 12, 2013

Summer, and probably posts, winding down

My brain is completely jumbled right now. It has been for the last week or so, ever since we returned from SLC. What I should be doing is writing a "to do" list but my thoughts are so scrambled that I don't even know what to write down.
To be fair, I did just get a lot of administrivia done. I paid PSU for my 3 credit class and sent an email to my HR department inquiring how to get reimbursed and how to submit my credits so I can move up the pay scale. I filled out Mimi's school registration packet and sent it and I budgeted for the rest of summer. Now my brain is kind of burnt out and I've hit a wall.
The last week was really tough. I've felt agitated more than sad, but I think underlying that agitation is a sadness that summer is almost over.
The truth of the matter is, I'm sick of my kids. Well, that is not exactly true; I'm just sick of being with them SO MUCH, of being a stay at home mom, definitely not something I was meant to do year round. So, in some ways, it is good that it is almost time to go back to work. I mean, it IS time. Yet, that still means another summer gone by, the passage of time. It means that in a few months I won't feel the sun on my skin so often, my tan will fade, biking/hiking/camping will decrease, free time will decrease, and the stress of work will resume. So I'm sure subconsciously I am feeling some anxiety about all of that and I also think that I start to panic at this time of summer because I'm worried I didn't get enough out of summer. Did we camp/hike as much as we could have? Was I outside enough? Did I relax enough? I know it sounds weird but, seriously, I start to worry that I *wasted* my summer or didn't do as much as I should have (despite being uber busy and probably only needing more chill/relaxation time).
So, back to last week; there was a combo of pms, a missed day of meds, home from vacation and trying to get back into routine, sick of my kids, and subconscious sadness about the end of summer. The only time last week I think I was in a good mood was when the kids and I were hiking through Powell Butte. I guess I also had a pretty good time at Ski Bowl. However, I don't think I was that much fun to be with; sorry kids.
Yesterday the kids and I went on a long bike ride and that felt REALLY good. I was pretty happy yesterday because of that and I'm taking today to just get my shit together and chill so I can enjoy the rest of the week. But I'm still discombobulated from the last week, trying to organize my thoughts.
I totally blew health last week because of the previously mentioned bad mood. I'm not stressing too much about it though. I haven't weighed myself since I was in Utah, about two weeks ago. At that point I was maintaining my lowest weight, so that's good. I don't think I've made any progress since then but I think I can at least maintain where I am until I am ready to push on again.
I read a fantastic book last week. "What They Always Tell Us" just advertises itself as a YA fiction book, focused on brothers. However, it is also a book about a 16 year old boy discovering he is gay and realizing that his depression has come from not acknowledging or understanding that "missing piece" of himself. The book was so touching and realistic and dealt with multiple characters and their emotions and the realities of life not being perfect but still having hope. "...life will always be that way---fleeting happiness surrounded by the ever-present reality of life, with all of its problems and difficulties and shitty occurrences."
So yeah, there is this permeating sadness and emotional presence surrounding me, but I guess that is ok. Mainly I just want to be on my bike or hiking, as usual, but that isn't always easy with kids. Mimi doesn't just want to sit in the trailer day after day and the kids like hiking, but again, not every day. Seriously, those two things are the only two things that really fill my battery. Luckily, later this week my friend is going to watch Mimi and I am going to go on a long bike ride. Graham is in a camp this week which is kind of a good thing.
So, I don't really know what else to say. There is still fun to be had this summer such as Graham and I rafting the Clackamas on Saturday. There are still camping trips to fit in and the beginning of school doesn't mean the end of hiking, biking, and playing; the weather stays good until November. In fact I really love the way the natural world looks during fall. So, hopefully now that I have purged, my brain is untangled enough to write that "to do" list.

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