Over the school break we were seeing what we could find with our very old telescope. With a bit of patience we got a photo of a distant power station. Took a steady hand and many out of focus disasters. I guess a lot of patience.

When I’m tired my brain has a habit of going into neutral. That’s fine if your sitting or lying down but try to do anything else and your asking for trouble. Last night at around 4am I was watching Black Panther. I decided my body needed a hot drink. So I make a fine cup of Yorkshire Tea. (That’s the tea which has got the new Chancellor of the Exchequer personal seal of approval).

The photo is from Chancellors own twitter feed.

Anyway my late night Yorkshire Tea was made. Unfortunately as I sat down to watch the movie again I realised that I hadn’t brought my cup with me. I was holding the kettle instead.

A couple of weeks back it was even more painful. I was watching a late night movie and I went for a midway toilet pit stop. On my way to the bathroom I completely missed the open door and walked into a wall.

It’s been even worse that that. About a month ago I was struggling with a leg muscle strain. During yet another late night movie the muscle started playing up. So I decided to apply some Ralgex (Heat Rub). A fine idea but in my zombie state I must have forgot to immediately wash my hands. Unfortunately I rubbed my eye and then with spectacular bad timing I decided to go for a wee. Within a few minutes my eye and my undercarriage were basically on fire. Now that woke me up.

But occasionally the late nights can yield moments of clarity. This happened last night towards the end of Black Panther. I had been spending so much time worrying about the future. All the pitfalls of homeschooling. Everything that could go wrong. How I was missing my partner and her advice. Then it struck me. The one thing I had missed was the opportunities. Homeschooling allows you freedom to design your own days. That puts US in charge. That is such an exciting and liberating prospect. And I missed it.

It’s so easy to focus on the negatives. There is an awful lot to be worried about in life. Yet it still can be a wonderful life. If you let it and have patience. So I need to find a balance. If I’m going to think about the negatives then I owe it to myself to think about the positives as well.

82 thoughts on “Late nights”

  1. Yes! Remember to think about the positives is such a good mantra for life too. Balance in all things. Having your eyes open is important too though especially when it comes to doorways! 😂

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  2. Awww.. There you go. yeah indeed it is all about letting go of some things to embrace others. BUT no decision . no big one is easily reached. So part of all this is to do with that. you will come down on the right side here.

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    2. We do. Honest we do. Do we ever think…I did that well.. Very seldom unless you are a totally full of yourself person. Instead we go.. Oh I did twenty five things right BUT see that one thing I did wrong… Oh, what a disaster that all was. Probably cos at heart we do want to get it right and we are perfectionists.

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  4. Yesterday evening I walked into the kitchen wondering what I had gone there for. My bladder reminded me that I should have passed the kitchen and gone to the loo. The main positive I take from this post is that Ralgex works.

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  5. There are always at least two sides to everything. It is amazing how many more aspects we can discover once we stand up and walk around a subject or a problem. I think the crucial moment is to detach from the problem which gives distance and enables a better overview to see the bigger picture.
    Your painful experiences actually show that you are basically ready for bed… take care, Gary!

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  9. It’s so easy to forget how well you are doing. But you are doing so well; and although life exhausts us, remember how far you have come 🙂 you are not alone, and I’m glad you remembered the opportunities 🙂 Evee

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  10. Many years ago I worked as a care assistant, and I spent most of my time off on autopilot because I was so tired. I once made myself a cuppa, and wondered why the milk wouldn’t fit back in the fridge… only to realise I was holding the kettle! To be fair, it was 6.30am and I was getting myself ready for a twelve hour shift, but still… 🙂

    It sounds as though you’re beginning to find your place in this new life you’ve had to adjust to. There are always positives to be found, somewhere; sometimes it just takes a while to find them. Keep going: you’ve got this!

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  12. YES! YES! YES! I also find myself mired in the drudgery and the worries of life from time to time but those moments of clarity come like a benediction to remind me there is a positive to every negative if we just stop and think a moment. You will find a way to make positives come from the negatives you both have experienced in the education system. You are awesome!

    By the way I did enjoy your stories of late night clumsiness. I’ve been there and done similar things. Thank you again for the chuckles. You bless my days with laughter, often, and I appreciate it.

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  13. Oh yeah, life is full of comedic moments🙄 I get lots of exercise going from room to room trying to remember why I’m there and what I forgot.🤷🏼‍♀️😂

    That’s it! Tonight’s movie is The Life Of Brian😉 start practicing your whistling now
    💌💌

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  14. Ouch Ouch and Ouch! I have experienced that unwelcome burn for a different reason: forgetting to wash after cooking with hot chilli peppers. I haven’t made that mistake since. You live you learn! I’m glad that you found some positives among the negatives. I’m working on balance too.

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      1. It is good for you to be mentally prepared for when/if he decides school is not working for him. I mean, he can always go back if homeschooling turns out worse somehow (though I doubt it will be worse). Have you thought about having him in an afterschool program a couple days a week to get him some social time outside of school if he does end up homeschooling? Then you could perhaps use that time for a quick run?

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  16. My kids and I, and three autistic friends (one of whom is also being homeschooled) play D&D on Tuesdays. Fuelled by copious amounts of tea. Today, while pouring it out, I thought it looked a bit weak. I had forgotten to put any teabags into the teapot! Yeah I guess in a little tired too.
    You’ll soon find your homeschool groove. And another plus side, your son can wear whatever colour socks he wants and you won’t have to fork out for new uniforms or school bags etc.

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  18. Another positive: Your brain death provided a good post and amusement for readers!!

    After losing, finding, and immediately re-losing a little pack of stickers, multiple times, I finally stumbled upon it last night – inside a cat bed. I have NO idea how it got there!! I put it on my desk. I haven’t looked but I fully expect it to be missing again today.

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  20. I have a confession to make. I should not have laughed, but … I couldn’t help myself when I came to the part where you applied the heat rub, forgot to wash your hands, then rubbed you eye and went to the loo! It reminded me of … oh, I don’t know … maybe something Jerry Lewis would have done in one of his comedy movies! So, apologies, but thanks for the first laugh of the day! Now … I really do think you need to start sleeping just a bit more. And worrying a lot less. And you’re right … the rewards of homeschooling far outweigh the downsides. xx

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  21. I am so sorry if some parts of this made me chuckle a little. Home Schooling is a huge blessing because you are in charge of how you want your child to learn. I enjoy it because, even when there are failures and mistakes, anxiety, it happens in the safety and comfort of, home….where they feel loved and not judged. There is so much joy watching them grow in their education, and knowing that you play a very huge part in their success. Whatever you choose, I hope everything works out very well for you and your son. But…if you choose home schooling, you will not regret it. You can do it!

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