Dear Dumplin,
Most moms are exceptionally busy and I imagine many don’t take as much quiet time as they need. Sometimes God will make you sit down and be still even when you don’t want to. This happened recently as I got the most bizarre wrist injury right before Christmas.
Want to know how I hurt myself? Sleeping. That’s right. Sleeping. I slept on my harm so long that I stopped the blood flow to my fingers and caused damage to the tendon in my thumb. I woke up the next morning, and my thumb was incredibly sore. The next day, I couldn’t move my thumb. By the time I went to urgent care, the fingers on my right hand had swollen into a fist and I could not straighten them. The day after Christmas I got a prescription for some really strong medicine and was told that I would not be able to use my right arm for at least five days. Five days! And I’m right-handed!
I spent the first three of those days exceptionally aggravated. It was the holidays and I was practically useless. I couldn’t cook or do your hair. I could barely dress myself. Eventually I took a deep breath and got used to simply sitting. I sat and watched you run around. Then I watched your Dad navigate all the things I usually do. You realized the routine was different and I think you may have given your Dad a hard time just for fun. You were exceptionally mischievous this particular week.
As time went on, gratitude came. I have so much to be grateful for. Yes, I was hurt, but I had help. You were healthy, and my injury was not permanent. I had to take the week off from work because I could not type or lay my wrist down on the desk. At first, that stressed me out a lot. I had so much work to do and was in the middle of a project. Then, I started to be thankful for the mental health break. Yes, it was not an ideal situation but I certainly needed the quiet time. Quiet is a blessing for an INFJ like me. I need the quiet to refresh myself. Too much noise for too long a period of time is overwhelming. The quiet is like a long hot bath. When it’s over, I feel like a new woman.
If you ever feel like you need quiet time, don’t be afraid to take it. There is nothing wrong with being alone with your own thoughts and feelings. Take five minutes in the morning in silence to get your thoughts together, pray, meditate, and just to say thank you for the life you were given. It’s important not to rush through life and miss the small special moments.
Love,
Mama