Unwinding

Is everyone feeling that these daily prompts are so fitting lately? Maybe they’re designed like horoscopes. Made to make everyone feel recognized somewhat. My mother – at a much younger age – used to read her horoscope in a magazine, or they might have been multiple magazines. She always felt like she was looking in the mirror when she read hers. I think she would have felt the same with any other. Every week she would read about the love of her life waiting around the corner, or great riches awaiting her. I suppose she never found the corner, and she’s still waiting for the riches. She’s young. Maybe I’m tio skeptical and all of this will still come.

Anyway. I digress, I don’t do horoscopes, but I do write blogs. And I’m perfectly aware – and fine with – everyone else recognizing some of themselves in a prompt. Each story is unique. This one’s mine.

How do you unwind after a demanding day?

Today’s prompt

Today I was a massive train wreck. I can’t even figure out why. I just felt tired – the mental kind – from the start. It usually doesn’t affect my functioning at work all that much if I’m mentally not in a great place. In fact, it often helps my mind to deeply focus on something. Not today. Focusing didn’t work at all. This was quite literally the case. My eyes wouldn’t work properly. I had a hard time focusing, reading. After eight espressos I gave up my hope on caffeine as my lifesaver. It wouldn’t surprise me if someone accidentally bought decaf beans at work. Meh.

I never look at the clock. Ever. Except today. I studied it religiously, as if admiring it would make my day any better. It didn’t. Maybe I should’ve focused more…

I will admit here, that I left the office three minutes too early. I couldn’t stand three more minutes. Not today.

And of course, my quick bike ride home would bring me closer to unwinding. Whatever that means.

When I entered the house, my wife was preparing the kids for a bath. Two bare butt toddlers jumping up and down because they’re happy to see you is a great way to start the unwinding process. After dinner they wanted to play with me, and I’m not sure if I felt like it. I started acting all silly, hiding in corners and in obvious locations, pretending to jump scare when they found me. I noticed my scares made them happy, so I kicked it up a notch. I screamed out loud in a pillow, and immediately discovered what rolling on the floor laughing was all about. The more noise I made when my daughter scared me, the harder she laughed. My son was laughing out loud from a distance. My wife was probably rethinking her life decisions. She never said a word.

I’m not sure if it was the kids laughing or the screaming that did it, but I felt a little better afterwards.

So I guess what I’m trying to say is that nothing unwinds the day like screaming at your loved ones…