Grab a tissue. We’re getting emotional today, and I promise I’ll try not to make this weird. 
I want to remind you that one small act of kindness can make a difference to far more than one person. Sometimes, you have absolutely no idea how much good you do just by including someone. 

If my family and friends can be sure of one thing about me, it’s that I am always a mess. Not necessarily a hot mess. Sometimes just a regular mess with good intentions. 
Sundays are especially busy for me because of work, so I spend most of the day at my computer with football playing in the background. Loudly. 
Apparently, I have decided that working and watching football at the same time counts as multitasking. 

I woke up early because I was worried I would miss my appointment. 
Turns out, my appointment was an hour earlier than what I had put in my calendar, so technically, waking up early was still a failure. Just an organized one. 
Since I had some unexpected time, I went outside and pulled weeds before it got too hot. About halfway through, the school called. 
For the second time that week. 

Listen, I am that aunt.  
If my nieces and nephews get in trouble, my first instinct is usually to ask one question: "Is there proof?" I need to know if I'm becoming an alibi or a defense attorney.  

At the start of gardening season, my husband thought he had the whole thing figured out.
And, for a few weeks, he did.
His zucchini was thriving, the bragging to his mom was typical. That was about it, but we are just going to focus on my positives.
I told him he was watering the tomatoes too much. He disagreed.

As life would have it, my husband was out of town for work the first week of school. 
Naturally, I thought, I’ve got this. Day one went swimmingly. 
I woke up extra early. I got the kiddo to school with plenty of time to spare. Nobody forgot anything. Nobody cried. Nobody was late. 
Everything was grand. 

76, 75, 74, 73... Did I respond to that email? 
73, 72, 71, 70... Notes my husband changes the reel he’s watching. 70, 70, 70, 70... How can he possibly watch his phone while lying in bed? I have been told that looking at a phone while lying in bed can interfere with sleep, so obviously I am doing the responsible thing by forcing my eyes close. 

For about two weeks, doing anything productive felt like trying to push a Walmart shopping cart with two messed up wheels. Every deadline looked optional. Every task sounded like Future Liz's problem but she's surprisingly stubborn. 
She usually shows up at the last possible second, yelling, "Absolutely not," while Present Liz is still explaining that she doesn't have the energy. 

When I was little, anyone who knew me, especially my aunt, could tell you I collected rocks. Not fancy rocks or gemstones. Just dirty rocks. 
My pockets were always full of them and overalls were the key. Every family vacation ended with me bringing home what I considered a priceless souvenir and everyone else considered extra luggage. 

Remember how I said two things can be true at the same time? 
Well, for someone who is fiercely independent, enjoys being alone more often than not and insists on doing everything herself, I have discovered that I am also a Velcro person. 

I'm just over here trying to live a happy life. I have absolutely no idea what's working and what's not. 
I have bad days. I have a small group of people who hear me complain more than I'd like to admit. But most days, I'm simply trying to get to the next thing on my to-do list without creating three new problems along the way. 

It's never-ending. "Can we go fishing?" It doesn't matter if the wind is blowing the trees sideways. 
"Can we go fishing?" It doesn't matter if there's a thunderstorm rolling in. Notice he never asks if we can clean the house. 

My kiddo had a doctor’s appointment last week, and I had the biggest epiphany.
We are often asked how things are going. Family, friends, doctors, and the people who check in on us with so much kindness. Almost every time, I assume they mean his health. That feels like the obvious answer.

I have no idea what I'm doing as a parent. 
I know my kid knows I love him. I know he knows right from wrong. I know he knows kindness comes first. Beyond that, I am making things up as I go. 
With summer here, my kid wakes up checking the weather forecast and wind prediction. Apparently, fishing has changed since I was a kid. I remember pressing a button, aiming toward the water, and hoping for the best. 

There were so many ah-ha moments during the three hours I spent mowing while putting on a free concert for the birds. 
But first, earlier this week during therapy we went over all my "what ifs". Every time I brought one up, my therapist responded with, "even if." 
What if I oversleep? Turns into, even if I oversleep, my son will still get his meds, just a little later. Simple. Annoyingly simple, actually.