The pendulum swings

Note to future self:

Life is not static. Kids have easy stages and hard stages. They obey in spurts, and they challenge in spurts. Social activity comes and goes, too. Sometimes friends seem a distant memory, and sometimes there aren't enough nights in a week to get together with everyone we want to.

When in a hard season, I despair that my life will always be this way. Kids will always exhaust me, Ryan and I will always argue, I will aways feel isolated. We will never be able to go on dates, take a vacation, have a real conversation before 8:30 at night.

When in a particularly fulfilling stage, I pat myself on the back for creating such a good life for our family. I become prideful that my kids obey and are easy to manage, that Ryan and I have a good marriage, and that I have an abundance of women to spend quality time with.

I am a lunatic. I am surprised every. time. the. pendulum. swings. So, Future Kathryn, don't despair in the hard times, and don't become lazy in the easy times. Always, ALWAYS, work on relationships within and without the family. Be grateful when life feels especially wonderful, and remember what that feels like so that when life feels especially awful, you can remind yourself of what is coming. And it is coming.