From: Tempted, Tested, True
By: Arnie Cole & Michael Ross
From “Fantasy Island” to the “Gossip Graveyard”
Sarah piled the dinner dishes on the counter. Another load. Those two words were heavier than all the dishes combined. Just the thought of washing those grimy plates, cups, and pots again caused her heart to sink. I deserve a break, she told herself. Day in and day out, it’s the same old chores, and I need some downtime. I’ll get to these later.
So she plopped down on the couch and turned on the TV. Absorbed in a show, she ignored the ticking of the clock, and before she knew it, it was time to get the girls to bed.
Her husband, John, asked her, “Did you give the girls baths?”
“Oh, I thought it was your turn tonight?” She replied, hoping he wouldn’t remember.
“I did it last night,” he said, but wanting to avoid a confrontation, quickly added, “but I can take care of it tonight.”
“Thanks, honey.” She turned back to her show.
After the girls were down for the night, Sarah picked up a book and snuggled up in her bed for more “downtime,” telling herself, I’ll get to the mound in the kitchen tomorrow. The page-turner kept her up well past midnight.
The next morning, Sarah “snoozed” the alarm a couple times, and finally just turned it off. Then she heard a voice, “Mommy!” ringing in her ears. “It’s time to go to school!”
She yawned and rubbed her eyes, turning to see her first- and second-grade daughters in their pajamas, pulling her comforter. “What time is it?” she asked.
“Nine o’clock,” her older daughter, Chloe, announced.
That dreadful news shot Sarah out of her bed and moved the home into whirlwind mode as she hastily dressed the girls and rushed them off to school.
When she got home, Sarah looked around the living room cluttered with toys and winced at the table decorated with Cheerios, milk puddles, and—dare she say it—more dishes.
She took a deep sigh and began to add the breakfast clutter to the pile on the counter. But that overwhelming feeling returned, and she said to herself, I just need to get away from this for a while and regroup. I’ll clean it all up this afternoon. And Sarah walked out the door to get some more downtime at her local coffee shop.
From Tempted, Tested, True
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