This has been a crazy week. I feel there were moments when I thought this was the longest Monday ever, and it was Thursday. There were moments when I thought this was the quickest week ever, when I woke up on Friday morning and realized I had not accomplished half the things I intended to this week.

While there were more than a few what the freak moments, there were also 10 moments to be grateful for…

1. That I have a supportive employer, that understands the true meaning of a flexible schedule.
2. That there are plumbers out there that come the same day you run out of hot water
3. That my nephew who is on leave from the military is spending it with us
4. That my eldest came home for a month, not just a few days
5. That Bridget is full of stories again, even if they may or may not be 100% accurate
6. That while last week’s IEP meeting/3-year evaluation was another reality check, I did not leave in tears, but thankful Bridget is at a school that supports her where she is at
7. That friend who seems to know exactly when to text a “how’s it going” text while letting me live vicariously through her train adventures
8. That when around the campfire, when everyone was talking over one another, Bridget (with perfect articulation) proclaimed: LISTEN TO ME. SHUT OFF YOUR MOUTHS! And instead of being insulted, all of us stopped for a moment, laughed and then continued making memories
9. That this summer, Bridget not only bossed us around the campfire, she interacted with everyone. Even if she kept rearranging where we all sat.

And for number 10….that I am finally comfortable allowing myself to take me time and only feeling 5% guilty about it. After that IEP meeting, when I needed to recenter myself from my dreams to Bridget’s reality, instead of pushing it down and soldiering on…I did not go back to work. I did not go home and start cleaning or doing 100 other things I should be doing, I took time to walk the canal. I took time to enjoy summer in September on the Cape. I took time to text it out with the friends that never judge what I am feeling in that moment. While it sounds selfish writing it out, I know I needed that 90 minutes to soak in the sun and walk out those feelings that it is okay to mourn my dreams of Bridget’s possibilities while being thankful for her reality. That she has one, that she is happy and that at the end of the walk I know I am doing the best I can to give her the best life she lives to her fullest potential.