Full Days, Tired Nights

Tonight is the first night in many that I have had the energy to do anything. Must have been the extra jolt of caffeine I injested at 7:30pm.

My days have been extremely full. Full as in not even getting my task list near complete by the end of each work day. Which means tasks are overflowing into the next day and things are snowballing. Some days it is like dodging bullets not knowing what or when the next thing is coming. Hectic to say the least--and this is our 'down time'??!! Ha...no such thing--that's a myth, trust me.

Our days go a little like this around here. Everyone up showered, clothed, fed, packed and bundled and out the door by 7:15am or so. One dropped at daycare and one dropped at the bus stop to go to school. I head to work and put in a very full, draining, mentally taxing day. (All while keeping a smile on my face and displaying nothing but patience, patience, patience.) Honestly, I love serving my community the way I do, but citizens will try you, test you and push every button you have. Day in and day out. You have to be numb to negativity and not let that attitude be contagious. I have learned not to take jabs or attacks too personally. If you do you will sink faster than the Titanic. I love my job, my Department, my co-workers. We are a team, a family, a support system all striving for the same goal. Making a difference. One positive impact makes every bad day worth it. Ok, enough of that soapbox.....

I get off work. Go get kids from daycare or practice or wherever they might be on a given night. Then at this point we begin our evening tasks. Many times by this point I am ready to fall into my bed never to leave it. But, we come home, I prepare dinner (if it hasn't already been picked up on the way home :), we eat, do homework, pack the backpacks back up with the next days necessities, try to have a little fun, free time and then the bedtime routine. I get everyone tucked in. This is where I again want to fall into bed without moving before morning. No, I can't. Too many things have to get done between the time the kids go to bed and I go. Cleaning up dinner mess, picking up the house, putting in a load of laundry, checking email, going through mail, returning phone calls, getting clothes out for next day, etc. etc.

Then I find five minutes to relax. Sometimes with a book, sometimes on the computer and sometimes staring senselessly at some stupid show on television. Time for bed. The alarm is set. The process will begin all over again in approximately 7 hours.

And I thank God for this. This is what I do, this is what I love. And I am thankful.