Don’t Wait for the Reboot - The Encore is Here
I love a good reboot. Gilmore Girls. Cobra Kai. Bel Air. Still waiting on the New Girl reboot, but will it even match up?
My life these days feels like I’m trying to push the reboot button because there is no time for rest. I’d love to see the 2.0 version of my life where I’m not dealing with some of the things I’m dealing with now. Summer feels like an appropriate time for a reboot, but instead, I’m in a bit of a mid-year crisis.
You see, with a 2- and 4-year old, the summer doesn’t necessarily mean a change of pace in our schedule, but it seems like it does for everyone around me.
Some of us have summer bucket lists full of trips to go on, restaurants to check out, and maybe even trails to walk if that’s your sort of thing. Some of us have summer fitness goals. My husband dreams of how to maximize one road trip for the summer by adding two additional cities. (Keyword: dream)
But me? How do I even exhale? My youngest is still in PT for some gross motor delays. My bi-annual appointments for various health screenings are due in June. And I’m wondering when I’ll be able to run a 5k without feeling the impact and complications of two pregnancies and deliveries. Between appointments and childcare management, what do summer rhythms even look like for our family?
In what feels like a former life, summer used to mean street festivals and late night bonfires knowing I could sleep in the next morning. And in a future life, it’s easy to look ahead and think about when/if things get better. When we aren’t restricted to various appointments or children waking me up first thing (or really, BEFORE first thing) in the morning. But with this back and forth game of “What if?,” I’m realizing that a reboot will not come any time soon.
Dr. Thema Bryant recently posted, “Your presence is a gift to yourself. Instead of idealizing other times and spaces, learn to fully occupy your present moment.”
Inhale. Exhale.
The gift of presence is really a gift of myself. A gift I sometimes struggle to embrace.
Inhale. Exhale.
I am growing. I am enough. I’m all the Mama these two littles need. And my body survived and is doing more than my mind will allow at times.
Inhale. Exhale.
Perhaps a summer rhythm can be towards rest in this season. Instead of waiting for the reboot, I can fully occupy this moment - full of complexities, but also full of growth. The reboot does not have to be another version of life, free from trauma, depression and physical limitations. I can practice presence, embrace what’s in front of me - the person I am right now, and rest in that. I need to stop waiting for the reboot or a season with “better” writing to come - the encore is here.
Rachel C. Varghese is a teacher, writer, and homeschooling mom who works as a Director of Communications and Connections. Rachel is passionate about learning and encouraging others towards wholeness.