I’m tired today. 

Another Monday, and I found myself sitting in the car for a few minutes on both ends of work-

When I got there to psych myself up, and then when I got home, to breathe.

I knew on the other side of the door my family waited, 

but I was so tired I just needed a break from being needed.

How do those perfect people do it all? 

The Pinterest parents, the shiny examples of Golden Ones that make matching clothes and having napkins at place settings look like a breeze?

Meanwhile, I have a magnetic attraction to my bed by 7 pm most nights, and a deep and lasting appreciation for chocolate. 

(The cheaper the better)

Sometimes I think I’d like to be like that. It looks so pretty and clean. 

But then I think about the work involved in getting there, and I feel my motivation evaporate. 

Maybe I could get someone with more talent to do it for me?  I’m lucky if I remember to buy a birthday cake, let alone decorate one. 

It’s not that I don’t want to, exactly, I’d just rather not spend my limited free time on all the mental labour I’d need to keep track of it all.

As I sit here thinking of how poorly I’m doing on the Pinterest-o-meter, I remember the most important thing I can give my children, and open the door to a wave of love.

Kids don’t do Pinterest, but they do give fantastic hugs.