Day 35: "Miserable But Fine"

I was texting with a friend the other day whose newborn was going through a growth spurt and shrieking for each feeding, which were about an hour apart. She joked that her postpartum blog would be called, "Miserable But Fine." As the proud mama of a grumpy baby (my friend insists I call her "spirited"), this phrase struck a chord with me. It is, at times, aspirational to simply be fine with our misery.

Because it's hard. It's hard as hell. And sometimes she cries inexplicably for what seems like hours. And sometimes she repeatedly hits when she gets frustrated with not being able to tell us what she needs. And sometimes I find poop on my hand and I wonder how long it's been there.

If we can recognize we are miserable, and make peace with that misery, we have really won. Bonus points if we can recognize that misery as fleeting, and understand that this too shall pass. It's not always fine in our world, but if we can be fine with that, there is a peace that comes with that acceptance.