The Worst Day Will Only Last 24 Hours

Your worst day will only last for 24 hours, so get over it.

Give yourself a little time.

There are no dead dogs or cats lying around waiting for me to do laundry and the dishes.

You should probably be able to survive an 8 hour day.

And even if you don't, when your boss asks you "Do you want to come in on a different day?

We need the help!"

Do NOT say "Yup, I'll be there next week."

This is like putting out a spider in your bed.

It's very important to be in the moment.

Your Grandma told you not to worry about your future.

And you know what, that is a good idea.

But it's also true.

Some people can afford to worry about tomorrow, but when your whole paycheck goes to car payment, groceries, and gas for your giant ass Toyota, there's nothing left to worry about.

Just be present in the now.

And by that, I mean when your child sneezes, kiss them.

Go out to dinner.

Go to the bathroom when you're out to dinner so you can eat like the classy people you are.

Ignore all the people that ask you when you're going to have kids, and just smile at them and wait for them to go away.

There will be lots of things that happen to you, and most of them are in your control.

But there are some things that are not in your control, and all I'm going to tell you is that there will be an incident in one of your classes that will make you want to shut down all future school children.

Whether that is because of some "crazy kid" or your own little scion, I don't know.

I DO know that you will not cry.

I don't even know how to explain this to you.

But I also know that there are places where it is impossible to be sad.

Maybe it's the way a child laughs when he's tickled.

That last laugh is a great "ta - da" moment and if your heart is open enough to appreciate that kind of joy, you will make it through.

Crying is not a very adult thing to do.

Your son will make you laugh.

No, it won't be the best laugh ever.

But it will be a laugh.

He will open up your heart and show you a side of yourself that you didn't know existed.

And I mean really, he's 4.

Don't say that you aren't happy.

I know you're happy.

This is the biggest reason that it is hard for you to write.

No one knows the joy that you feel when you are with him.

You don't think about when you'll have him as much as you think about what he's doing at that moment, and if he's happy.

And he is!

It's a strange and wonderful feeling and you can't even imagine feeling that way.

You're afraid to wake up one day and realize that all of this time, you were only pretending to be happy.

You've started going to therapy.

Don't be afraid.

If it helps you, and it sounds like it might help you, do it.

Your therapist is an amazing woman, and she will make sure that you get the help that you need.

You are entitled to that, no matter how far you are in your grief.

You are also entitled to pick your own damn therapist, but I will try to steer you in the right direction.

That's it.

That's all you need to know.

You don't need to be told that you're a good person.

You don't need to be told that you're lucky.

You don't need anyone to tell you that you're doing good.

You've got this.