74. All in a Day's Work – Cat Hollyer
I’m exhausted. I’m short-fused. I feel like I’m failing at everything. Now, rewind, and let’s look at Wednesday again.
It’s Wednesday morning, and I’m making four breakfasts for four kids. In an hour, I have my weekly staff meeting with my studio, my daughter has a Zoom call with her class, and our other three kids have their first hour of what we call “school time,” a time to work on assignments. My husband and I quickly check in to see if each kid knows what to work on. (Spoiler alert: they don’t.)
An hour and a half later, four different lunches for four kids, then school time again, then free time, then reading time, then walk the dog, then dinner for six, then dishes, then another walk, then showers all around, then bedtime, then collapse.
In between all of that, there are multiple schedules to navigate, and all the dishes and laundry and snacks. So. Many. Ding-dang. Snacks.
I’m exhausted. I’m short-fused. I feel like I’m failing at everything.
Now, rewind, and let’s look at Wednesday again:
I wake up, well-rested, in part because my hour-long commute has disappeared. I chat with Phoebe over waffles—man, she’s growing up fast, and I’m so lucky to get this time with her. We work for a while and then take the dog for a walk over lunch. The world is exploding with color, almost like it’s never existed like this before… or maybe I didn't have time to notice?
Millie interrupts my Skype call to show me a drawing. I mute myself and take in her creation. She’s getting so good! My little introvert is really blossoming with this time at home. I feel so grateful.
No one gets all their work done, and I don’t really mind. I just want them well and happy. We eat a big dinner—how fortunate that we can afford to feed our family—and play basketball outside for a while before bed.
I organize the storage space in the basement. Who thought I’d ever have time to do that?
– Cat Hollyer
Prompt:
Think about a day where you felt a range of emotions—things like joy, frustration, boredom, contentment. Summarize your day through the lens of one of these emotions. Then, choose another emotion, and summarize the same day again.
Heather Viviano
Location: Seattle, WA
About: I wanted to take Cat Hollyer's prompt suggestion and turn some of the darker times of isolation and flip them to something positive. I did this with lyrical poetry, the darker times in verse, the lighter moments in chorus.
Age: 51
I read the prompt this morning and thought about it all day as I was painting. Now that I read it again I realize I was meant to pick a day, whereas, in reality, I picked a period of time, namely the time of quarantine and of George Floyd's death and Black Lives Matter. I touched on those subjects in what might be considered verse and tried to flip it to positives I can take out of this dark time in our history in what might be considered a chorus.
Hands In the Stone
I wondered if she'd make her flight
and didn't sleep at all that night
while he was heading down the road
to help another, share the load
Stocking up and hunkered down
a killer moving into town
Powers that be who've lost their minds
Thinkin' dealin' with the devil works every time
Worry traveled face to face
and sorrow tried to fill the space
but looking back, if clouds roll in
I'll find myself rememberin'
A breeze through the doorway
laughter in the hall
and telling myself to remember it all
How brave they were
when it all went down
How hearts can sing
without making a sound
Smiles through the window
hands in the stone
never another day alone
Now I have times like these
floating through my memories
You put on a brave face, but all the while
You're screaming Heaven help us through your smile
Will love prevail, will justice serve
Will the righteous get what they deserve
They took a man and they brought him down
A killer on the streets of town
The powers that be who have lost their minds
Thinkin' dealin' with the devil works every time
Worry traveled from face to face
and sorrow tried to fill the space
but looking back, if clouds roll in
I'll find myself rememberin'
A breeze through the doorway
laughter in the hall
and telling myself to remember it all
How brave they were
when it all went down
How hearts can sing
without making a sound
Smiles through the window
hands in the stone
never another day alone
Now I have times like these
floating through my memories
And I cannot help but think about
how all of this is playin' out
Maybe it's all just for the best
the things we'll have to do without
And when darkness tries to settle in
I'll find myself rememberin'
A breeze through the doorway
laughter in the hall
and telling myself to remember it all
How brave they were
when it all went down
How hearts can sing
without making a sound
Smiles through the window
hands in the stone
never another day alone
Now I have times like these
floating through my memories
Sweet memories
Sweet memories
Sweet memories
Marley Guy
Location: South Bend, Indiana
About: I am going through a period of transition-- and have been, ever since graduating from college where I'm trying to figure out who I am and who I want to be. What sacrifices I'm willing to make for my career and what I'm not willing to give up, no matter what. I liked this prompt a lot because it can be so easy to focus on the negativity, to take for granted all of the blessings we have, even in the midst of a pandemic.
Age: 24
Thursday:
Boyfriend wakes up at 5am now because
His work switched his schedule so now he’s
Supposed to do 4 10hr days but last week he
Worked for 13 days straight, no break. All this for
$13.50 an hour or roughly $750 a pay period. Meanwhile,
CEO’s across the nation stay safe in their mansions. I imagine
A $550,000 salary annually must feel pretty damn nice.
It was a rough morning. He didn’t want to go in-- he’s exhausted
(obviously) but i have to ‘play cheerleader’ because he
CANNOT lose this job even though i hate the way they treat him.
So I hug him and tell him to ‘take it day by day’ even though
What i really want to do is punch somebody and scream at the
Unfairness of it all.
So, somehow, miraculously, he leaves and then it’s just me and
The dog and the cat. I’m awake now so I stay up and write for a bit
And that feels nice-- I haven’t written for me in a few weeks now.
Then it’s back to sleep. Re-waking up is hell cause im so exhausted--
There’s no motivation to leave bed but somehow i do.
Shower, a cup of tea later im at the kitchen table, school books open. I
Saw that there’s a staff meeting later today but im not going-- I can’t
Face those condescending arseholes today. Professor assigned a
Crazy amount of work-- content that spans 83 pgs, or two chapters in
A dense scienc-y psychology course. I cant understand the words anymore so
YouTube it is.
2 ½ hours later ive finished both assignments, give up on work for the day
And instead go outside to do some yoga. The cat
Gets irritated because i take too long to let him inside so he leaves
The backyard and i don’t see him again til late that night.
4:05pm. Means time to leave the house and pick Jordan up. This day
Of isolation was relatively good but i still feel like a piece of shit for not
Getting any of my actual work done. Crazy how capitalism has tricked
Us-- brainwashing us to believe we’re only worthwhile when we’re productive.
Skirt Skirt! Rewind- try it again from the top but let’s get some positivity in there!
Thursday (Take 2):
Babe had a rough time waking up this morning. It’s weird cause
I felt like i already knew what i had to do- love that feeling- got up with him
And got his coffee ready for him. He told me later that really helped him so
That made me feel good.
Gives me a kiss before he leaves (we always say ‘i love you’ or a kiss or
Something before he leaves) and then it’s just me and the dog and the cat.
Dog looks at me like he do with his eyebrows raised, like a person, such a
Human expression-- he really makes me feel less lonely. Jumps into bed
With me. His warmth makes it a little easier when Jordan leaves in
The morning.
Couldn’t sleep right away so i grabbed the laptop and wrote. It’s been
Hard to write for me lately when i have so much online work piling up but
I didn’t even think about it this time-- it just felt like the right thing to do and
So i did.
oh , yeah. Forgot i got some Wendy’s breakfast. Biscuits and gravy. Pretty
Tasty, I’d love to try more. Back to bed, wake up, shower, tea, books. I
Don’t get what the book is saying anymore-- a bunch of elitist jargon i don’t have
The time or curiosity to learn, Youtube it is. It was actually kind of nice having
Someone else explain the concepts to me, with visuals and humor, i felt like
I understood the content a lot faster.
I knew that working on curriculum wasn’t gonna happen after that, my mind
Was pretty fried at that point. Went outside ( it’s been so nice out recently- love
All this sun!) and got some yoga time in. i love yoga because it’s both hard and
Relaxing, cleansing at the same time. I love that it combines mind and body.
It’s so challenging but i can see myself getting better and feel myself getting
Stronger and more flexible too.
I suppose i am pretty lucky to have the time to work on myself too. Some days,
I feel so bad about myself for not getting ‘enough’ done but i also know that like
These aren’t normal times-- a social revolution on top of a pandemic-- but also
My worth isn’t tied to my productivity like ive been led to believe. Life is about
Enjoying yourself and taking risks and surrounding yourself with friends/family.
I think this quarantine has been reminding people of what we lose when we
Get wrapped up in work and other things like that that don’t really matter that
Much in the end.
I’m not where I want to be but also i look at myself now and compare it to even
A year ago and I’m so proud of myself for coming this far because at least
I’m not where i was either, thank the Lord (or Buddah or Spaghetti Monster--who/whatever
It is you believe in)