Some Days You Just Survive

Yesterday started off great.

We got up with the boys, had breakfast, and then Joseph and I headed off to his swim lesson. We had a blast in the pool together. After swim, we met Jillian and Brooks at the coffee shop where the boys shared a scone and a smoothie while Jillian and I enjoyed our matchas.

The plan was simple: the library, a relaxing afternoon at home, and then a play date at the rec center with Brooks and his friends.

We did all of those things.

But the day was far from easy.

Joseph is going through a phase where being separated from his mom is a challenge, even if it’s only for a few minutes. So when I put him in my car after the coffee shop while Jillian and Brooks got into hers, he wasn’t happy.

At the library, Jillian went to look for a book while I stayed with Joseph. The moment he realized she had walked away, he took off after her.

Getting back in the car afterward didn’t go much better.

He was just having a hard day.

We think maybe he had water in his ears from swim lessons, or maybe he was overtired. Whatever the reason, things just seemed off.

The nap didn’t help much either.

Later, at the play date, he was perfectly happy playing on the playground, going on the swings, and climbing through the fire truck. But the moment he went looking for Jillian and discovered she had stepped away to use the bathroom, the tears started again.

And if I’m being honest, by that point I was frustrated.

Not frustrated with him.

Just frustrated.

The kind of frustration that builds throughout the day until you realize you need a break.

So I excused myself from the play date and walked home.

I had dinner, watched some soccer, and waited for Jillian and the boys to get home.

Then I let that frustration get the better of me.

I asked Jillian to bring home milkshakes and instead of working on the project, I sat in my chair scrolling Instagram.

Not exactly a productive evening.

As I sat there later that night, I realized something.

This was the kind of day that used to derail me.

The kind of day that would convince me to start over.

I would have looked at the milkshake, the missed work, the frustration, and decided the whole thing was ruined.

I would have convinced myself that if I could just start fresh tomorrow, everything would be different.

But that’s the trap.

Because there will always be days like this.

There will always be difficult days.

There will always be setbacks.

There will always be frustration.

The goal isn’t to build a life where those days never happen.

The goal is to learn how to keep going when they do.

So instead of blowing everything up, I did enough.

Not great work.

Not exceptional work.

Enough.

Enough that I wasn’t moving backward.

Enough that I could wake up today and keep going.

And as I sit here writing this, I realize yesterday wasn’t nearly as bad as it felt in the moment.

I got to take Joseph to swim lessons.

We went to the coffee shop as a family.

We visited the library.

I published a blog post.

We spent time at the playground.

There were a lot of good moments mixed in with the hard ones.

I just couldn’t see them at the time.

Some days you don’t thrive.

Some days you don’t make huge amounts of progress.

Some days you don’t feel particularly patient, productive, or successful.

Some days you just survive.

And that’s okay.

Because survival counts too.

Today I went on a family hike.

Today I’m celebrating Father’s Day with my dad.

Today feels a whole lot better.

But I only got to today because I didn’t quit yesterday.

Sometimes that’s enough.