Let’s Talk About Interruptions!

I'm pretty sure that one of the common threads of motherhood and grandmotherhood is interruptions.

(Speaking of interruptions, I just interrupted myself to look "grandmotherhood" up to make sure it was an actual word! In case you are wondering, it is:) 

Interruptions happen all.day.long in my life. There are lots of small, momentary interruptions; like the immediate need to change my grandchild's diaper, a snack request(Goldfish most frequently), a request for a drink, a request to skip a commercial, a request for (another) snack, a request for help building a tower, a request to snuggle, a request for (yet another) snack. Seriously, these kids are just always hungry! 

And then there are bigger interruptions that change the direction of your day: A teenager locks his keys in the trunk when he stops at a grocery store to buy corn for his school's food drive on the way to school. Or you notice your teenager's inhaler on the floor of her room in the middle of the day, and she has a game after school. Or you notice your dog rubbing her ear with her paw and against the couch, realize she has an ear infection, and now a vet visit is part of your day. ( I would say these examples are hypothetical, but that would be lying. I am more surprised by a day that goes smoothly than a day with interruptions!) 

As moms and grammys, we stop to attend to needs in the midst of what we are doing a lot(!), especially with littles. There are interruptions to serve, to understand, to comfort, to redirect, and to reprimand. How many times have we tried to switch a laundry load, sweep the kitchen floor, empty the dishwasher, or simply get dressed, and were pulled away from the task multiple times? 

And while having littles in the house guarantees a day with interruptions, it doesn't stop as kids grow.

There's the deep cleaning project we are ready to tackle, but our teenager is emotionally dysregulated and needs some focused attention. So the chore gets pushed off to another day.

Or, my favorite, when you're just about ready to crawl into bed, and your college student starts texting you with lots of worry and angst. So you sacrifice sleep to go back and forth with them for an hour or two until they are in a better headspace.

The interruptions come, and keep coming, and we stop and take care of whatever the need of the moment is.  I don't always do what needs to be done selflessly, but much of the time I do an ok job of dying to self. I'd say I'm 75-80% successful at dealing with interruptions without rolling my eyes, huffing and puffing like I'm preparing for the role of the big bad wolf, or stomping around muttering to myself in frustration. I have gotten better at it over the years. (slowly!!) And God is so gracious to always give me lots of opportunities to practice and strengthen my patience muscle! 

But what about when it comes to ourselves and our own needs? How good are we at interrupting our focus or our plans when a part of us needs something... or anything... and it's inconvenient? We can be so good at being patient and serving others, but when it comes to our own needs, we just steamroll right over them. We ignore our overwhelm, exhaustion, and emotions and just white-knuckle our way through whatever the next task on our to-do list is.  

I spent many, many years living this way. And I'm still not good at being open and honest about my own needs. It's much easier for me to look for the needs of the people around me, especially my family. But I'm learning to have a better balance because I can't truly give when my emotional tank is on empty. 

God put a scripture verse in my path that I've been sitting with for most of this year:

"In returning and rest you shall be saved; in quietness and in trust shall be your strength."(Isaiah 30:15)

I've been sitting with it so long because it's so hard to do! Rest, quietness, and trust are all things that don't come naturally to me. But I'm practicing and learning. (slowly!!) 

The next time you're pushing through your to-do list and feel a tug from your heart or your body, take a moment to respond to the interruption. Maybe you need a 15-minute rest break, or a power nap, or a snack (my grandkids would suggest Goldfish;), or to acknowledge whatever emotion is bubbling up and talk about it with God. Don't just power through it. Show yourself the love, mercy, and patience that you are so quick to give to your family and friends. 

After all, interruptions to our day are often opportunities for moments of grace. And we can all use all the grace we can get!