You know those moments when life piles on one more thing and all you can do is laugh?

That was my morning.

I got home from the gym, talked to Dad, walked the pup, greeted the contractors working on the house, and finally walked inside.

And there comes Mom toward me…

with one hand twice the size of the other.

Seriously. 😳

Deep breath.

Get the ice pack.
Ice and elevate.
Quick shower.
Get dressed.
Load Mom into the car.
Load the precocious puppy into the car.
Off to urgent care.

And now… we sit.

Funny thing is, sitting here, I can finally breathe.

The workday I had planned? That’s going to have to flex.

The contractors? They’ll figure it out.

The puppy in the car? Well, he’s along for today’s adventure. 🐾

And Mom?

She’s right here beside me, and I’m doing everything I can to take care of her.

I think this is one of the strangest parts of caregiving. You can wake up with a perfectly reasonable plan for your day, and within minutes, life grabs the calendar and scribbles all over it.

There are moments when I want to cry. Moments when I’m frustrated. Moments when I wonder how I’m going to get everything done.

And then there are mornings like this when I just have to laugh.

Not because it’s funny that Mom is hurt.

But because sometimes laughter is the release valve.

It’s the moment I realize:

Okay, God. Apparently this is what we’re doing today.

So I breathe.
I adjust.
I take care of what’s directly in front of me.

And I remind myself that I don’t have to manage the entire day right now.

I just have to manage this moment.

A few caregiver reminders for days like this:

– Your plans are allowed to change.
– Not everything that felt urgent this morning is still urgent.
– Take care of what actually needs you first.
– Breathe before jumping ahead to the next problem.
– And when the day becomes so ridiculous that you don’t know whether to laugh or cry… sometimes laughing is exactly what you need.

Can you relate?

Have you ever had one of those caregiving mornings where you thought, You’ve got to be kidding me… and it’s not even 9 a.m.? 😂

Maybe finding calm in the chaos doesn’t mean the chaos disappears.

Maybe it means learning how to find yourself in the middle of it.