The Case of the Knotted Earbuds

This afternoon was rough.

The daughter was complaining about having the right shoes, the sons were bickering over a broken toy, my coffee had spilled all over the counter, the laundry was dinging, we were going to be late to practice.

I wanted my coffee and to run away to a corner of the house that is quiet and where no one needed me.

I knew I could breathe, take a moment, gain perspective. I preach this stuff.

But the LAST THING I wanted to do in that moment was to be PRESENT WITH IT. SCREW PRESENT!!

I couldn't escape literally, so I decided to distract myself with a podcast, or the news, or whatever AppleMusic curated for me, and I found my earbuds on the counter.

I stopped.

They were jumbled in a chaotic mess that literally made me scream.

So everyone stopped. They looked at me and who knows what was wondering in those eyes. “My mom has lost it” probably one of them.

I picked up the chaotic earbud mess and suddenly, and finally, took that breath.

In.

Out.

Slowly, carefully, I untangled the mess. And as I did, I noticed the tension melt away, the stress of the morning dissolve, as I untwisted, unwound.

I plaxes the undone earbuds on the counter, unused, and went back to the family.

I’m back, I’m ok, and we are just FINE.

It was earbud meditation.