The weekly Thursday thought

rolls around at five pm.

Once again,

I feel many years older than my age,

confused why everything hurts and I’m so tired.

And then I remember-

I’m at the stage of life

where a full day of the same kind of work

drains me so much that by the time I get home,

All I want to do is sit on the couch and close my eyes.

Not deal with children and discipline,

Not read any stories before bed,

Not make any food or clean a single dish.

I remember B.C

(before children)

when I could work for 48 hours

and come home and sleep.

Now I feel as though I’ve worked 48

when it was really only 8.

Is it my body admitting defeat,

or my brain telling me life is too short

To stay still for so long?

And just like every week,

I tell myself I won’t do that anymore.

I’ll shorten my day

or mix it up.

And every week

I add a little more instead.

Once I get this adulting thing figured,

I should be just in time for retirement!