A Patient 2022
pa·tient /ˈpāSHənt/
adjective
able to accept or tolerate delays, problems, or suffering without becoming annoyed or anxious.
I’m not going to lie, my word of the year for 2021 pretty much nailed it. “Endure” we did. It was a hard year that became even tougher after those couple summer months of COVID-freedom, only for the pandemic to roar back in the fall. And, it roared. Maybe our new normal is just to “endure” it all; either way, I think this year’s word will help me get through it again, along with some of life’s other updates.
Since November, motherhood has felt like it hit me with a ton of bricks…or a freight train. I’m usually mulling it over in my brain…“I thought I’d be better at this.” This is mostly the sleep deprivation talking, of course, I’m doing okay…but, it is so hard. To deal with nine months of pregnancy, only to be met with screaming, crying, pumping and an indescribable “tired” has been more than I could have ever imagined. My baby hasn’t yet started sleeping how long I want, or where I want, when I want and it is…exhausting. I’m not in total control.
That’s where patience comes in.
Patience when my house is a wreck and and the laundry is in a mountain ranges across the living room floor. Patience when I can’t find a reason why the baby is upset. Patience when my milk supply decides to have an “off” day. Patience in traffic when I’m commuting, wishing I worked from home. Patience when my baby never lets me be on time again. Patience is what is going to get me through some of the more challenging stages of parenthood, the infant days of 2022 and beyond.
Here’s to patience. Here’s to 2022. Here’s to making life happen, pandemic and all.
