Once again I forgot to include the LORD in my plans and he reminded me of that this morning at 3am when I was sleeping. Charlie came into my room and asked his dd if he was going to work. Without discussing it with me David decided to take today off because he didn’t have enough gas to get to work.
I understand that. I really do. But then he said I will just work on Wednesday. Thursday. How is that going to work when we’ve made plans to go to the movies on Tuesday night and we have lunch with my best friend on Wednesday? What was you thinking is what I wanted to ask David.
Instead I came back upstairs and made myself a copy of Coffee and got to work before Charlie wakes up and David is gone to sell Plasma because only the LORD knows were the rest of the day might lead and I have a sneaking suspension it won’t be getting much work done for me even though I have a job that needs done because everyone is going to want something.
Even though I feel like going back to bed and pull the covers over my head I wanted to remind you some mornings, we wake up and ask the Lord to help us make it through the day. Other mornings, I wake up thinking I already know what the day is supposed to look like, only to discover that before I’ve even had a chance to get started, everything is going in a different direction.
That’s where I am this Monday morning. I woke. I had Prayed last night David was going to work and Charlie too. It seems like every time David gets the opportunity to work overtime, we end up with a day off afterward. I don’t understand that way of thinking. It’s not something my dad would have done, it’s not something I would have done, and it’s not something I want to teach Charlie. Who by the way even after making plans with Bradley to do door dash is asleep in the bed.
Maybe that sounds harsh, but when you’re trying to keep a household running, bills paid, and everything moving in the right direction, the decisions people make affect more than just themselves. Which is something I’ve been trying to get through Gerald and Charlie’s head.
This weekend, I tried explaining to Charlie and Bradley that we need $35 for the car, or they’re going to come and pick it up. They both said they could make that through DoorDash, and I told them that was fine. But when I asked when they planned to start, I couldn’t get a clear answer. And that’s where my frustration begins. It’s one thing to talk about doing something. It’s another thing entirely to take that first step and actually do it.
Charlie is still asleep this morning. He asked me to wake him up at noon, and I already know how that conversation may go. When he finally gets up, there’s a good chance he’ll want to go to Whataburger for a drink and Dunkin’ Donuts for a donut and that takes gas we do not have.
There’s nothing wrong with a donut. But if I’m going to have a donut, I want it early in the morning, before I get started with my day. I don’t want to spend the afternoon running from one place to another when I have a mountain of things waiting for me at home.
David is in and out today. I have no idea what we’re doing for dinner. I have sixteen posts I need to work on, emails waiting for my attention, and a house that needs cleaning. And then there’s the dog. She’s not a bad dog. She’s a baby who needs love, attention, and somebody willing to spend time with her.
But somehow, I seem to be the one who ends up responsible for her again. I love her, but loving a dog doesn’t mean I never get tired or that I don’t need a little time to myself, too. So here I sit in front of my computer, looking at the words Simple Ways Ordinary Days, and I find myself asking the Lord a question.
Lord, is a simple day ever going to happen for me? Will there ever be a morning when I can get up, think about what I need to do, start my own work, and not immediately begin worrying about everybody else? But as a mom I can honestly say no, that will never happen which I learned from my mom because you can’t just turn parenting and being a wife on and off like a ligth switch.
I have a question this morning. Will there ever be a day when I don’t have to remind someone about a responsibility, figure out what we’re going to eat, worry about a bill, clean up after someone, or rearrange my plans because somebody else’s plans have changed? I’m tired. Yes, I’m a mom. I’m a wife. A sister and business owner but I am a person and I do get tired.
And if I’m being completely honest, I’m frustrated enough today that I could scream. I know throwing things won’t solve anything. I know screaming won’t make people suddenly understand what I need from them. But knowing those things doesn’t magically make the frustration disappear.
Sometimes, being the person who keeps everything moving is exhausting. And maybe that’s something we don’t talk about enough. We talk about gratitude. We talk about counting our blessings. We talk about finding joy in the little things and appreciating the ordinary moments that make up our lives.
I believe in all those things. My faith matters to me, and I know I have blessings even on the mornings when I struggle to see past my frustrations. But I also believe that being grateful doesn’t mean we never get tired. Having faith doesn’t mean we never get frustrated. And loving our families doesn’t mean we don’t sometimes wish somebody would look around, recognize what needs to be done, and take care of it without waiting for us to ask.
Maybe today, my simple way of getting through an ordinary day isn’t going to be a new routine, a perfectly organized house, or a wonderful dinner that everybody gathers around to enjoy. Maybe today, it’s going to be taking a deep breath before I say something I regret.
It’s going to be tackling one post instead of worrying about all sixteen at once. It’s going to be remembering that I can love my family without being responsible for making every decision and solving every problem for them. And maybe it’s going to mean admitting that I need help, too.
I don’t know what dinner will look like tonight. I don’t know how many posts I’ll finish, whether the house will get cleaned, or whether everyone will follow through on the things they said they would do. But I do know this: I don’t want my entire life to pass by while I’m waiting for everybody else to get their lives in order.
I want to enjoy my coffee. I want to do my work. I want to laugh with my family. I want to enjoy the dog without feeling like I’m the only person responsible for her. I want to have ordinary days that leave room for me to be a person, not just the one everybody depends on. And I want to remember that the Lord is there on the messy Mondays, too.
Maybe a simple day doesn’t begin when everything around us finally settles down. Maybe it begins when we recognize what we can change, what we need to release, and where we need to stop carrying responsibilities that belong to someone else. I’m still figuring that out.
Today, I’m not writing this from the other side of the struggle. I’m writing it right in the middle of it, sitting at my computer with a long to-do list and a heart that needs a little breathing room. And perhaps that’s the most honest place to begin. Because ordinary days aren’t always easy days. Sometimes, they’re the days when we need the Lord’s guidance the most, when we need to give ourselves a little grace, and when we need to remember that our own needs matter, too.
Here’s to finding simple ways through ordinary days, even when Monday doesn’t feel simple at all.
Grateful, Thankful, and Blessed.
GreatfulMoments.com
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
