13 Comments

That birthday scenario is too good and too real! Resentment and anger, matched with a celebration that ended up being for you both. I love these stories, which take relationships into reality!

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A resounding heck yeah to all of this. It feels good to identify with what you wrote here, Lane. And I am ALL IN for the balanced and nuanced approach here; yes, it is a glass case of emotion *and* it is often one person in the family unit striving to make it all feel festive and breaking down under that pressure at times, AND I need the fun and joy and anticipation. Thank you for portraying that middle ground.

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Thanks so much, Aine! It really is, isn't it?? I'm trying to take pressure off "finding the balance" when it's just a season of no balance--hahaha. And I'm always going to be resentful and grateful for it at the same time. "One person in the family unit striving to make it all feel festive and breaking down under the pressure" says it perfectly, lol.

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All true! This break I decided, once the kids were home, to do absolutely no work and it was really nice to just have one job for a minute. Now I'm planning out this article that's due March 1st and I'm like, I really should have been doing some reading for it over the break! Sigh.

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Thanks for saying this and yes, it’s hard to win! Lately I feel jealous of people who can make creative work and/or leisure the focus of their lives for long stretches of time and afford it. I like my job but as a breadwinner I have to spend a lot of time working and the not-work time is precious.

Good luck w the article :)

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Thanks!! And agree about the job part... counting down to sabbatical in two years :).

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Sabbatical!! The dream!!

And I know the article will be awesome.

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I love this Lane!

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Thank you so much, Carley!

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I agree, It's not just another day. With all the things that go wrong for us, the magic of the season is somehow still there. It's a gift for those who can feel the magic. Thank you for the heartwarming read. ♥️

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Thank you for your frank honest and humor! I could really relate.

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Thank you Cathy, and thx for reading!

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Agreed, and thank you for reading!

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