Not just for kids anymore

As a child, punishment came after I did something my parents told me not to do and always came with a lecture.  I hated being punished.  Now as a parent, punishment has taken a new angle.  I find myself longing for a moment that someone tells me to "GO TO MY ROOM AND DON'T COME OUT UNTIL YOU GET YOURSELF TOGETHER!"

Running around for and with the family emphasize how quickly the hands move on the clock.  There aren't enough hours in the day!  How can I show up for all the school board meetings, attend all the children's sports events, create amazing vegetarian/vegan meals, read all the books that will push me further in my career and still have time/energy to attend the required work meetings? When I noticed my day, seemed to have fewer hours than those of my friends/sister girls, I wanted to (and I actually think I did) scream!

Turns out, those 24 hours are divided into sections called AD-ULT-ING.  Ugh.....who signed me up for that and how can I decline.  Why did my 24 hours feel like 10 minutes?  I need to re-evaluate my life.  Re-prioritize.  Re-do. RE-something but it needed to be quick and it needed to start yesterday.

I text my husband and told him I was putting myself in time out for the day.  I needed time to "get myself together".  Of course, he laughed at me but he knew that I needed some time alone.  He heard my bad behavior aka road rage, he saw my temper tantrum and tried walking away from me while I wailed around on the floor like an uncensored 2-year-old who wanted candy aka coffee.  I think he needed my time out as much as I did but he appreciated my self-reflection and purpose.  

So here I find myself....by myself....at the closest lake during an amazingly beautiful day.  I went to one of my favorite locations to just think, walk, pray, breathe and re-focus.  An Adult Time Out!!  and it was so much better than I remembered.  Who knew being alone could be appreciated and absorbed like coconut oil on my melanin skin?  Who knew being an adult, and putting yourself in "time out" was a thing and why didn't anyone tell me?  Timeouts were intended to stop the behavior and give time to think. Well......we, as parents/adults need to put ourselves in timeout to do just that. 

While this is not always do-able for a family, especially one as large as mine, it was now required.  I would always hear my mother say, " you can't fill from an empty cup".  As a child and most of my adult life, I had NO CLUE what that meant.  Just chalked it up as something mothers say to their children.  "Generational nuggets".  Well, I finally get it.  My cup was empty.  I had nothing left to give.  As a parent, wife, sister, daughter, friend.......I forgot to think about me.  

My advice to EVERYONE.....find a moment to yourself.  Even if you have to lock YOURSELF in the bathroom and open the window to feel the breeze.  Take 20 seconds to re-evaluate, re-do, or replenish.  And NEVER deny yourself a great cup of coffee...