I wrote a haiku during a short online class this morning.

My weekend is done.
Already, I’m so damn tired.
How do I change course?

It was only Saturday morning, but I was already feeling the burden of all the things I need to get done this weekend after a busy and exhausting week last week.

We had gone camping (my husband and I, our two little ones, plus three dogs) about 325 miles north from home. With all the stops we did on the way back, it took us seven hours to make it home, instead of the five Google maps predicted. We got in early Wednesday evening then I had to prepare for the kids’ first day of school the next day.

But I did good!

Two things I did right were 1) I prepared everything for the kids the night before, and 2) I went to bed early. I only focused on what was necessary for my children to have a successful first day of school.

I let go of the unpacked camper. I didn’t bother putting anything away except for the leftover cold food items. Any other time, I would’ve let myself get overwhelmed and stressed out by the mess I had to take care of and all the other shit I had to do.

And now that the weekend is here, it’s time to play catchup with all the tidying up I put off from our trip. I’ve also come down with a cold (possibly from all the wildfire smoke up north here in California). This hasn’t helped me with my already lacking motivation.

So I cleared my daily task list of all the unrealistic chores I originally planned to complete this weekend. I left in a few light but noteworthy todos. This is new for me. I usually like to barrage myself with overly optimistic tasks, which only leave me with feelings of guilt and incompetence when I don’t get them done.

I guess I’m trying out this new self-kindness thing. It kinda feels good.