Almost a year ago, I was sitting in the hospital birthing suite, alone. A lovely midwife popped in and left me with some laminated cards. Most of them I stuffed into the document wallet together with the newborn papers. This one, I kept with me as a reminder.
What an intense year it has been.
It has been harder than I ever imagined. I have not been the person or parent that I ever wanted to be. I couldn’t be the person or parent I wanted to be. That still feels like failure. But over time I have done to realise that it isn’t entirely my fault. That maybe my expectations were unrealistic. Maybe I cannot be my own village because I am only one person.
This year I have asked for and accepted more help than I have ever done in my entire life. Not for me, but for my girls. Needing help still feels weak, still feels like failure but failing them would be even worse.
Maybe someday I will do it for me, but for now, I take my little recovery steps for them and that is okay too.