From Errands to Sick Days: A Lesson in Slowing Down

Not the Friday I Planned, But Maybe the One I Needed

This Friday morning isn’t exactly how I pictured it.

The plan was simple: wake up refreshed after a full night’s sleep in my brand new, blissfully comfortable bed, pour a hot cup of coffee, and head out to run a few errands with my youngest. Maybe we’d grab a donut on the way, chat about her latest imaginary ventures, and just have a normal, easy morning.

But motherhood, as usual, had other ideas.

Instead of sleeping soundly, I spent most of the night up with my poor youngest, who came down with a stomach bug out of nowhere. Every hour or so, she’d call for me, running for the potty with her hair sticking up in every direction, cheeks flushed, and that tired little voice saying, “Mommy, I don’t feel good.”

By the time morning came, neither of us had gotten much sleep. And to top it off, my oldest woke up with a bad cold — stuffy nose, sore throat, the works. So now, instead of ticking off my to-do list, I’m here on the couch with one girl snuggled on each arm, surrounded by blankets, a box of tissues, a half-drunk mug of cold coffee, and a pile of storybooks.

And honestly? It’s not what I planned, but I’m trying to see the sweetness in it.

Motherhood has this way of reminding you that you’re not actually in charge — not really. You can plan, organize, and make lists all you want, but sometimes the universe (or your kids’ immune systems) has different plans. And when that happens, you get to decide whether to fight it or to lean in.

So today, I’m leaning in.

Leaning into the mess, the exhaustion, the soft rhythm of two little heads resting against my shoulders. Leaning into the way their small hands still reach for me, even when they’re miserable. Leaning into the rare quiet that settles over the house when everyone’s too tired to move.

The errands will wait. The laundry will wait. The world will keep spinning just fine without me checking off a single box on my list today.

Because right now, my job is here — being the safe place, the comfort, the calm in the middle of a long week that didn’t go as planned.

It’s not the Friday I wanted, but maybe it’s exactly the one I needed.