To say the last 5 days have been like running a marathon at the pace of a sprinter would not be far from the truth.

Between our oldest kid going back to college and the kid coming back to the house, I feel like there is not enough time in the day to do it all. Thankfully, we got an extra day with the college kid. (G cannot read the date on a calendar and match it with the day of the week it falls on, so she was a day early for her flight back to school giving us one more day to spend with her.)

But before she left, we got word that the kid would be coming back to us after the time away. Oh yeah, and you have to have all of this stuff in order before the kid’s arrival – you can do that right?

We have been offered support by everyone. We had two hours with two social workers on Friday. Spent time with the kid and therapist 1 on Saturday. Then we met with social worker and therapist 2 on Monday. In between those times, we have had homework: write ups we needed to complete an have reviewed, list of to-dos at home, and just general pulling the house together stuff.

We are about 99% ready for the kid to arrive tonight.

That’s just all of the actual actions we have had to take. It doesn’t count all of the stress we have undergone – not with the actual work getting done but mentally preparing for all that could happen. Despite my best efforts, staying in the present has not been easy. It has not been easy to let my mind go to things that, in the end, I cannot control. I keep reminding myself that those things are outside of my control no matter how much I may be convinced they are in my control. They just are not.

I have found myself at work the last couple of days reminding myself to breath – inhale and exhale – then repeat. Ready or not, here it all comes.