Good morning and Happy May. I don’t know if anyone else thinks of Justin Timberlake when they think about the month of May but ever since I saw the meme of him with the caption, “It’s gonna be May,” I can’t get it out of my head. I also go into May looking forward to the 4th (May the 4th be with you) and yesterday I boldly said to my youngest son that since May 4th fell on a school day and we couldn’t have a Star Wars marathon this year that every day in the month of May we should watch a Star Wars movie or episode… Yes, that was bold. I also thought for a brief time yesterday morning that it was May 1 and therefore had time to watch Star Wars. I guess I’ll be making some time today. I don’t want to fail before I even start.

Today, I want to give you a list. It is a special list that I have been compiling in my head since last Wednesday, the day I fractured my finger. Because since that day, every time I go to do something out of the ordinary and realize I can’t because I can’t use the middle finger on my left hand, I think a few things, 1- That is difficult or impossible to do with a broken finger or 2-I’m really glad I only broke my finger and not an arm or a leg or hand or some other part of my body that would affect my every day life more. The truth is, it is hard for a mom to be sick or injured. Things don’t stop because I can’t do them. No, the world goes on. It makes me think about how important it is for us moms to not only rely on ourselves to get everything done. I am just one person with 24 hours in a day, just like everyone else, but for some reasons I think moms feel an insane pressure to do it all and be everything to everyone. Break a bone or get sick, that will humble you real fast! When I think of times in the past that I wasn’t able to do things for my family, times when I had the flu or a terrible sinus infection last fall, a period in my life that I was so stricken with anxiety that I couldn’t get out of bed, I think of how things got done anyway, without my help. My awesome husband steps in, makes sure everyone is fed, the house is taken care of, and our boys get to where they need to go. I have had friends help with rides or taking the boy for a few hours. We also have some family members that we can call on as well. We are blessed. The mom life, can feel lonely sometimes, the fire mom life can feel lonely and exhausting, but it is so important for me to remember that I don’t need to do it all on my own, that I have a beautiful community of friends that I have made to help carry the load. Not only that, but this broken finger is a good learning moment for my kids too. Mom can’t do all the usual and ordinary stuff and dad can’t take two weeks off of work for my broken finger, so on top of their chores they have had to step up with other things as well. These things are good for them to do and not a second has gone by in the past week that I haven’t appreciated the extra that everyone is doing. Now, on to my list…

A list of things that are hard or impossible(but mostly just hard) to do with a fractured middle finger…

1-It is hard to do my hair, blowing it out, washing it, putting it in a pony tail. It is not impossible, just hard.

2-It is hard to pick things up that require two hands.

3-It is hard to put my left contact in my eye ball.

4-It is hard to tie produce bags at the grocery store and poo bags when I’m with dogs.

5-It is hard to keep all digits straight so it doesn’t look like I’m flipping everyone off (as told by one of my teenagers).

6-It is hard not to bang it into things, I don’t even know why…

7-It is impossible to grip the steering wheel with my left hand, but not impossible to drive.

8-It is possible to rinse the dishes but not to wash or scrub them.

9-It is hard to sleep.

10-It is tricky to type, but apparently, I’m doing ok with it!

11-It is hard to bag my groceries.

12-It is hard to get money, cards or change out of my wallet.

13-It is currently impossible to bend my finger.

14-A bonus-It is hard but not impossible to ask for help or accept it

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