Sometimes All it Takes is Friends and a Cup of Coffee

So, I’ve been kind of a mess this week. Unlike my normal, even-keeled self, I feel like a fragile little teacup that will surely crack if set down wrong. With buying a house, trying to balance work and family, my kids going through some weird insomnia issues, and buying a house (WHY is that so stressful?), I’m teetering on the edge.

Naturally but unfortunately, this has spilled over into my mothering. The other night, I fled—FLED, people, like Cinderella from the ball—from my kids’ bedroom door, wailing, “I CAN’T DO THIS ANYMORE!!” Just like that. Can you picture it? Not my finest Mommy moment.

Thankfully, my friend was kind enough to have her birthday this week. And another friend and I jumped on the chance to take her out to coffee.

You know what’s good for a mom who feels like she’s losing her sanity? A brown sugar cinnamon latte and relaxed conversation with other busy and brilliant mom friends. The. Best. Therapy.

My birthday friend is training to become a midwife, so we talked about her midwifery business ideas. My other friend’s niece is pregnant with her first baby, so we talked about what we wish we’d known with our first pregnancies and births. We talked about my homebuying process and we excitedly exchanged ideas for putting chalkboards in our houses. Little stuff.

We also talked about this group of midwives who had traveled to the Philippines after the typhoon last year and set up a triage birthing tent. For a month, they did emergency care not just for pregnant moms, but also anyone who needed basic emergency care (as my friend pointed out, if you can suture a vagina, you can suture anything). We talked about the emotional toll of that kind of destruction and the heroic sacrifices people make for others in times of crisis. Big stuff.

But we really could have talked about anything. Just sitting in a lovely little cafe, with lattes that someone else made, chatting with kind and supportive friends for a couple of hours made a huge difference. It didn’t fix anything in particular—but it provided a temporary cushion, a protective layer of bubble wrap around my teacup psyche. I came home feeling safer and saner about my crazy life. Everyone’s life is nutty, with some seasons feeling nuttier than others. It’s all good.

Seriously, if you’re feeling frazzled, get on the horn and make a date with another mom, or two, or five. Find a cute café and carve out the time.

Friends and a cup of coffee. Best therapy in the world.

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