Therapy

Work is incredibly hectic right now. I've got 7 projects on my plate, 2 of which involve the most notoriously difficult consultants in the business to please, and I'm behind on just about everything I'm involved in. Start work at 6, bringing work home now and then, and still not getting on top of it all. I haven't logged 5 miles on my new LHT for Pete's sake.

At the beginning of the day, I'm tired, but productive. The first 2 hours in the office before anyone else gets in are really nice, but by the time 5 o'clock comes around and I start thinking about packing up for the day, I'm thoroughly spent. My driving is slow (often below the speed limit) and I generally feel like I have nothing left in the tank.

One would think that getting home to a house with 3 kids would be the straw that breaks the camels back wouldn't one?

It's completely opposite.

After a few minutes of hanging with my family in the kitchen while my wife finishes cooking supper (an amazing cook my wife) I'm feeling better already. As soon as I walk in the door, my two boys literally run to me everyday for a hug. I can make their face light up with the first glance they have of me through the glass pane door in our boot room.

Supper is a great time. We all talk about our day, get back in touch with each other again, and it seems we laugh a lot. Much of it has to do with listening to my youngest son repeat everything the rest of us say. The only way we can easily discern what he is saying is because he is repeating what we're saying.

After supper, I generally clean up and load the dishwasher. My wife will enjoy a bit of down time as it's her first break from the kids all day. The boys usually help me with the dishes, and they are learning to do the dishes. Well on their way to taking over the task. They don't know that though.

Once dishes are all cleared up, it gets loud. That's the time when the boys and I wrestle. Everything from foam sword fighting, to rolling from one end of the house to another while clasping the "vicitm" tight to my chest. We chase each other while roaring like lions, and play throw the kid across the living room onto the leather sofa. The one that's the hardest on me is horse. I prefer it when I'm simply a nice riding horse, but sometimes they want a bucking horse. It's worse when we play in the living room on the hardwood and I definately prefer it upstairs in their carpeted bedroom.

I've learned that children do not sleep well right after this type of exercise. So, we usually settle the evening down by playing a board game. Or playing a board game 5 times. Candyland, snakes and ladders and Caribou. It's fun playing the game, and playing referee, keeping all the "turns" in order.

By the time we take the boys upstairs for prayers and tucking them into bed, I feel good. So good. Relaxed, refreshed and incredibly content and happy. Family is an incredible blessing and every single night I go to bed thinking how lucky I am to have such a wonderful family. I'm in a much better space to talk with my wife and I completely forget the sins of the day and the stress of work.

I can think of nothing else that makes me feel so good and that I enjoy as much as getting home and seeing my family. That is some good Therapy.