This week, my little wrecking crew of a three-year-old closed me into the kitchen as I made lunches.
“Shhhhhh,” he said. “I just really need some quiet.”
Whuck?
My shoulders dropped several inches and I breathed the air of joy and silence and adrenaline-dissipation. Peace was mine for at least 30 seconds, and it was sweet.
Later in the week, my little bundle of raw nerves, almost-eight-year-old took a deep breath and started to chill the heck out.
“I just need some space,” he calmly told his shrieking little brother. “I might be allergic to you.”
Again, I measured my relief in decreased tension and increased oxygen intake. I had space to breathe twice in a week? Genuinely, seriously unheard of.
And then, today, two of the boys slated for our impending birthday sleepover party told their moms that they’d really rather attend just the waking hours of the party. I had offered to each family the opportunity to sleep here, or to stay right up until teeth brushing, go home, and return for the morning breakfast and egg hunt.
Having two children opt out of the giggling, silly, late-night horse pucky that is trying to get elementary-school children to sleep? I swear to all that I hold dear…this is a Pope verifiable miracle. This represents three deep breaths in a week, and I am so grateful that I’m going on a tear of charity donations, random acts of kindness, and willful support of those who normally irk me.
I’m almost to the point of skipping, dear readers. Seriously. Life is good, kind, and glorious.
And now that I think of it, it all started when Jimmy Fallon hit some incredible notes on The Tonight Show.
Maybe my unbounded joy, immeasurable good fortune, and serendipitous droplets of magical fairy nectar this week are because of the history of rap.
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Anything amazing happen to you this week?
Was it better than quiet and calm in the midst of two feuding brothers?
Was it better than this?
NaptimeWriting 
Glorious! Kind! Wonderful ! Glad to hear all of this.
Right?! A happy lip-sych battle to you!
Shhhh! Don’t snap them out of their trances. Let’s go out and do something fun. Like stare at the ceiling fan in silence.
JG, I pulled over the car, and slept by the side of the road. On a suburban street. Because life slowed down just enough to allow it. Opportunity knocks, you blink, yo.
I think my 3yo daughter is constitutionally incapable of silence, but she still naps sometimes. So there’s that.
So happy to hear about your trinity of miracles. That might just be enough to make a believer out of me!
NAPS? Oh, darling woman, that sounds like heaven. We’ve spent two years without naps, so I’m guessing they won’t return.
I thought my son was physically unable to embrace either stillness or silence, but I have been proven wonderfully wrong. Here’s hoping little finds five minutes of silence each week.
Last night my child only woke twice. TWICE! I mean, sure, the first time I fell asleep in her bed and slept with her for two hours, but twice is twice!
Oh, my word, that brings back some painful memories! Congratulations! You’re right that twice is a huge relief. Everything is relative. Mine averaged three wakes a night, but those nights of 20+ were genuine, soul-draining, spirit-sapping hell. Except for the cute baby part, but dang that’s small consolation at 1am, 3am, 4am, 5am. Have you read my Plea for Sleep? Holy moly that was a tough time.
It gets better!
Yay! Also? I love Jimmy Fallon–even more so after his Chris Christie traffic jam parody with Bruce Springsteen.
He did WHAT? I have to go watch!
It’s rather unreasonable how happy good, smart comedy makes me.