Me-time and me!

To all the wonderful women in my family and friends (Mom-friends and non-Mom friends)- who are in person and who I wish were here with me in-person- Thank you for giving the space to me to BE- cranky, complaining and angry, listening to my ramblings for days (or weeks), not judging how I look or how the house looks, bearing with last-minute cancellations of plans if the kiddo got sick, and still willing to hang out last minute!

A special thank you to non-Mom friends who tolerate my non-stop talk of the kid- what amazes me and what doesn’t! For laughing at my mom or kiddo jokes even if they don’t amuse you. For hanging out with me even though you know it might involve seeing the evening through a melt-down, howling at time (not always from me though!) or just sitting and eating take-out. I am grateful you tolerate us bunch with kids!

A lot of you who know me know that I have started taking ‘me-time’ (sans kid or hubby) since last year every week which I dedicate to my walks (lone or paired up with a friend), journaling practice and reading at my favorite cafe, often with a yummy treat. I have been following that routine- rain or shine. It took some external and internal negotiation for me to start on this journey. I can be a bit of a control freak when it comes to my little one- after all he is little and he is my joy of life. So I did had to learn to let go of the 'right' way to feed the kid, get him to sleep or even give bath to a kid. Trust me, there are a million ways to do simple things like this and when it comes to Moms, your partner can apparently do ALL of those things WRONG! It is very 'zen' of me to finally arrive at a place when I can just step out as the clock turns for my 'me-time' without thinking whether the room looks a post-tsunami situation or the dishes are dirty.

All the Mom friends out there-I want to share that I am experiencing a sense of composure and happiness which was missing in my life before. I get less angry and can be ‘more present’ for my family. This step was not without mom-guilt or hiccups to not take the time ‘when things come up’. That still happens all the time. Some days the kid is sick, other days your partner or you have a work deadline or you are not well. I try to still keep it atleast 2 hours each weekend (either day) and plan that I can still get the weekend snuggle with the kiddo in. But I am really proud that I did and do take ‘me-time', protecting it feverishly because it is akin to protecting my sanity and that of those around me! You don’t want a yelling cranky mom around you, do you?
A lot of you have been encouraging me to take care of myself in different ways as well as taking care of me as well (including bringing yummy food when I am sick) without holding judgement for my mom-pooch! You have been a blessing to me in these past 3.5 years and I am forever indebted to you. Happy Mother’s Day!!

P.S. It looks like my ‘prayer-plant’ ALSO needed ‘me-time’ to recover from the bug attack 6 weeks back. It is happily unfurling a new leaf today bringing me immense joy and reinforced relevance for me-time!