One Set of Hands
Solo parenting, long work nights, and the reminder to choose presence over pressure.
Single parenting this week while my partner was at a conference Monday–Thursday gave me a whole new level of respect for how much a second set of hands really matters.
Especially with a 2-year-old who is fully mobile and fully committed to exploring everything.
It’s amazing how quickly one extra adult goes from “helpful” to “essential.”
On top of that, I had my annual physical this week — a bit of a checkpoint. I’ll be honest, I’ve felt a little off lately, maybe a bit more lazy than I’d like to admit. Even if the results come back solid, it’s clear some changes need to happen. One of those quiet wake-up calls.
The back half of the week didn’t slow down much either.
With my partner returning from travel, I expected a bit of a reset — but work had other plans. I ended up putting in an extra 4.5 hours Friday night after Jasper went down, then nearly another 5 hours on Saturday between naps and the evening.
The reality of my role right now is that a lot of fixes can’t happen until systems update — and those updates usually hit on weekends. So if Jasper wasn’t awake, chances were I was working.
Not exactly the balance I was aiming for.
We did carve out some time that mattered though.
Dinner with my mom, dad, and aunt before they head overseas again — Arizona to Europe in no time. It was really good for Jasper to spend time with them, especially since it had been a while. It’s interesting balancing both sides of family — my partner’s parents in India stay closely connected through regular calls, while mine are more in-person when we can make it happen. Different dynamics, same intention.
By Sunday, we all needed a reset.
After a week of travel, work, and just general chaos, the goal was simple: slow down. Relax. Recover a bit. My partner’s been feeling under the weather, so it felt like the right time to just take a breath before Monday comes back around.
Well… as much of a “relaxing” day as you can have with a toddler running the show.
Because at the end of it all, the work will always be there — but these seasons with him won’t. And I’m not going to miss them while staring at a screen.