Day 2 of May-Hem: Giving Thanks

It’s Day 2 of my self-created May-Hem challenge, and today I’m going to be focusing on giving thanks. I’ve chosen this topic as yesterday, I got a little upset and felt unappreciated.

“Showing gratitude is one of the simplest yet most powerful things humans can do for each other.” —Randy Pausch

I’ll start with yesterday. I woke up at 6am. I suppose this isn’t unusual, as that’s what time my alarm is set for on Mondays and Tuesdays to ensure I get to work early enough. However, my inner teenager wishes to have lie-ins still and snooze until mid-morning. Unfortunately, Thing 1 woke at 6:15 and insisted on going downstairs. I have no problem with that – she always wakes up early, and she is fantastic at entertaining herself (thank you, iPad!). Unfortunately, I hadn’t really banked on Thing 2 waking up before 7, too. Last weekend, on the Saturday, I eventually woke her at 10am. On the Sunday, she got up just after 9am of her own accord. I guess I ought to have predicted this behaviour as she was 16 days late being born, preferring to spend time comfortably in my womb. 

Anyway, when I woke, I had a banging headache. This happens when I’ve either not drunk enough the day before (guilty as charged!) or I haven’t managed enough sleep (also guilty of this!). Needless to say, with a bad head, I wasn’t feeling that great. Unfortunately, I’ve been struggling with pain in my shoulder/neck/upper arm for the past few days, so I haven’t been working at anywhere near 100%. Bad health = bad mood.

However, despite feeling under the weather, I headed out to the village car boot sale. It was lovely to see so many people, socially distanced, supporting the community. In fact, I saw so many people I’d not seen in over a year. Of course, I still feel very wary about the situation, but it reminded me of just how much we have missed over the past few months because of the pandemic. 

When we returned home, I quickly made lunch for all of the children (five this weekend) as we were expecting the lovely Sam, our hairdresser. It was the first time I’d seen her in well over a year, and my hair was long overdue a trim. Earlier in the week, I was concerned that I might have to cancel because of my pain. Luckily, I woke up feeling a little better in that respect. Four haircuts later, Sam finished, and I have to say I am incredibly grateful to have her as my hairdresser. Around nine years ago, I visited her salon (she is now mobile), and she rescued me from a hideous dye (a so-called professional did it) and lousy cut to match. I was thankful that she was able to rectify things back then, and I’m equally grateful today. With a much shorter ’do, I feel rejuvenated and have a renewed confidence. 

Shortly after having our hair done, I set about the task of making tea. With my head pounding, I was irritated already. However, after presenting food to everyone and one child exclaiming that they didn’t like it and another refusing to come to the dinner table, I was more than a little miffed, to put it mildly. Some days, I just crave recognition that I’ve worked hard on making a balanced meal (it’s not easy with allergies, intolerances and sensory issues to deal with). Today, I lost it at the table. After hearing endless talk of farts, infected skin, poos and constant ‘Mum!’ or ‘Dad’ chanting, I just wanted to eat in peace. No moaning. No bickering. No rudeness. I gave them all a stern message, showing that I was unhappy with the behaviour and the attitudes shown to each other and to us adults. It is rare for me to get to tipping point, but the lack of thanks and the headache combined meant that my threshold was significantly lower. I think there will be thank yous aplenty tomorrow.  

Finally, I’d like to offer thanks to my long-suffering partner. While we are complete opposites in many ways, we do fit together perfectly. I might nag from time to time (sorry!), but I will be eternally grateful to him for everything he has done for me (including putting this blog online!).