I Think We're All Tired

Pull up a chair.

Can I tell you something I've been thinking about this week?

I have a feeling a lot of us are carrying more than we realize.

Maybe that's why we're so tired.

Not just "I didn't sleep well last night" tired.

A different kind of tired.

The kind you feel in your shoulders.
The kind that follows you through the day, even after you've had your cup of coffee ... or two.

Maybe you've felt it too.

The other day, I caught myself standing in the kitchen, trying to remember what I walked in there for. 

While I was standing there ... my mind was already somewhere else.

I needed to make a doctor's appointment, I still hadn't answered a text, and I was already wondering what we were going to have for dinner.

And then it hit me ...

I was pretty sure the laundry was still sitting in the washer because I forgot to move it to the dryer (which meant I was probably going to be washing it again.)

I finally laughed at myself because none of those things were a big deal by themselves.

But together ...
they were a different story.

I'm smiling because I have a feeling you know exactly what I mean.

That's when this picture came to mind.

What if we're all walking around with an invisible backpack?

Not the kind you throw over your shoulder for a hike.
The kind you don't even realize you're wearing anymore.

Every day, without even realizing it, we toss one more thing inside.

Maybe it's a parent you're worried about.
Maybe it's work.
Maybe it's your grown kids, even though they're doing just fine.
Maybe it's remembering to refill a prescription or make one more phone call.

Before you know it ... the backpack feels heavy.

It's no wonder we're tired.

And then, just when it feels like we're carrying enough already ... the world hands us something else.

Another article to read.
Another podcast to listen to.
Another expert telling us what we should be doing.

Some days I don't need another tip. I just need someone to tell me I'm doing okay. Maybe you do too.

Sometimes it's not just what's on our shoulders.
Sometimes it's what's keeping us awake at night.

Maybe you're sleeping just fine ... or maybe you're not.

Maybe you're waking up at 3:17 in the morning ...

Wide awake.
For no reason.

Just lying there while your brain decides it's the perfect time to start tomorrow's to-do list.

Maybe you're doing the best you can ... and still wondering why your energy isn't what it used to be.

If that's where you are ... I hope you know you're not imagining it.
You're certainly not alone.

And if nobody's said this to you lately ... you're doing better than you're giving yourself credit for.

Maybe you needed to hear that today.

All of that got me wondering if maybe we've been asking ourselves the wrong question.

Instead of asking ... "How can I keep carrying all of this?"

Maybe we should ask ... "Does all of this even belong in my backpack?"

Because I have a feeling some of the things weighing us down ... were never ours to carry in the first place.

So here's what I'm thinking this week.

Not as advice. 
Just as a friend sharing a cup of coffee with you.

What if you took one thing out of the backpack? Just one. 

Maybe it's saying yes to a frozen pizza for dinner.
Maybe it's asking someone else to make the phone call.
Maybe it's letting the laundry wait until tomorrow.
Maybe it's deciding that "good enough" really is good enough today.
Maybe it's letting go of one expectation you've been carrying for far too long.

You don't have to unpack the whole backpack. Just make it a little lighter.

One of the quiet gifts of midlife, I've discovered, is realizing we don't have to keep carrying things just because it's what we've always done.

We get to choose.

What stays.
What goes.
And what was never ours to carry in the first place.

Maybe that's what wisdom looks like. Not learning how to carry more.

Learning what we're finally ready to set down.

Before You Go...

Before you head back into your week ...

Notice your backpack.

Not the one hanging by the front door.
The invisible one.

If it feels heavy today ... maybe that's your reminder to take one thing out.

Not everything.
Just one thing.

And if today all you manage to do is finish your coffee ... and take one really deep breath ...

That's enough.

The coffee will be waiting next Sunday.
I'll save you a seat 💙

Kari xo

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Coffee Talk is one corner of The Midlife Edit.

If this conversation resonated with you, I hope you'll stop by The Midlife Edit, where we talk about living well, traveling more, and making this season of life feel just a little lighter.

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