For when it’s been one of those days...

It was supposed to be such a simple project.

When we bought this house a year ago, the previous owners left the TVs mounted over the two fireplaces. The first one, mounted over the fireplace in the screen porch, stopped working within a month, so we replaced it with one of our own. 

The second TV was in the living room, which up to this point is still what we consider the “staging room.” Which is just a nicer way of saying “the random room we haven’t furnished yet that we keep filling up with all the crap we don’t know what to do with.”

But while we haven’t actually done anything with the living room just yet, the one thing I DO know is that it WON’T be a TV room.

And so, I not-so-gently suggested to my husband that we move the living room TV to the outdoor kitchen, where we know we WILL want to watch football games.

“Babe, it’ll be like having our own sports bar. It’s the perfect solution.”

“I’m not excited about that idea.”

“But it will be great! I know it”

end of conversation.

And so, like the good husband he is, Chuck proceeded to remove the TV and wall mount from the living room, and move it to the outdoor kitchen.

And then.

DISASTER.

I was in my office and all I heard was the kind of scream that immediately makes you stop everything you’re doing and just RUN.

In that split second, every possible scenario ran through my mind, and I mentally prepared myself for the exposed bones, blood, and devastation I was almost certainly about to encounter. I braced myself for the worst possible scenario.

But there was no blood.

Chuck was fine.

The TV, however, was not.

It had inexplicably fallen off the counter and was now smashed into a thousand pieces on the ground.

And while my husband was physically okay, that smashed TV may have been the proverbial straw that broke him.

Have you ever had a moment like that?

Where you’re already at your wit’s end, and then there’s just that one more little thing that pushes you over the edge?

The thing that on a normal day, might not even be that big of a deal, but when you’re already stressed and overwhelmed, makes your whole life feel like it’s all just too much?

If the answer is YES, then congratulations—you’re officially human.

And this modern world we live in, for all its perks, can also be a lot sometimes.

The price we pay for smart phones and indoor plumbing is actually pretty steep.

So the question is, what can we do about it?

What do you do on those days where it all just feels like too much to handle?

I’ll be honest, it’s a question I’m still trying to answer.

But I can tell you that yesterday, in the midst of all the frustration and anger, the thing that helped my husband and I most was just taking a step back, taking a breath, and having an open and honest—but not angry—talk over a cold beer. We vented our honest feelings about all the things that feel like a total shitshow in our life right now, but we also found a way to laugh at ourselves and get a little perspective.

In the end, we didn’t come up with any magical solutions, but just taking a few minutes to remember that we’re on the same team made our chaotic life feel a lot more manageable.

And for today, that’s enough.

Franklin Roosevelt once said, “When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.”  Along those same lines, Timber Hawkeye noted that “You can’t calm the storm; what you can do is calm yourself. The storm will pass.” 

In other words?  Sometimes, in the midst of chaos, all we can do is put one foot in front of the other, and just hang on.

My challenge for you this week, if you happen to be going through your own season of craziness, is to remember that you’re not alone, and that this too shall pass. So give yourself grace. Take a break if you have to.  Don’t beat yourself up for the things you aren’t able to get to, and stop feeling guilty about the ways you’ve fallen short.  Have faith that this is not the end, and know that every season is always temporary.

Live with purpose, friends, and have a wonderful week!

xoxo, Ruth

P.S. I always LOVE hearing back from you! Feel free to hit reply to this email to let me know how I can encourage you this week!

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