You Can’t Control the Power Going Out (But You Can Control This)

This time last week, I was sitting in my car with tears streaming down my face.

School refusal. Both boys. At the same time. It was a lot.

Today I’m sitting in my car again. Same car, same school run and things look quite a bit different. Not perfect. But different. And this morning actually handed me a masterclass in what it looks like to be a mum trying to hold it all together.

First: the power went out

Just like that. One second I was about to make toast, the next nothing. Silence. The kind of silence that says good luck with your morning routine.

Now, my youngest relies on a highly structured routine. So this was… not ideal.

But here’s what surprised me: I was calm. Not in a zen-guru-sitting-cross-legged way. More in a okay, what do we actually need right now way. No toast? Fine. Weetbix it is. No coffee? Okay, that one stung a little... actually if I'm really honest, it stung ALOT.  But I survived.

I reported the outage, and plot twist, the power came back on just before we left. No toast, but I got my coffee. Definitely a win.

And because I was calm, my son was calm. I noticed that. It mattered.

Then: Google Maps

I don’t trust Google Maps. I have control issues with Google Maps 🤣. And yet this morning I thought, you know what, I’m going to trust the process. New route. Let’s go.

Lovely, can you guess what happened? I ended up in a traffic jam 🤦🏻‍♀️.

And I lost it, just a little. I was muttering, blaming the app, getting tense… until my oldest son quietly asked, “Mum, are you okay?”

That pulled me back. There was a little voice in my head saying Tanya, you cannot control this. But there was a lot more resistance this time than there was with the power outage. This time, I had someone to blame. And blame is a funny thing. It makes it so much harder to let go.

Here’s what I keep coming back to though: we cannot control our circumstances. Ever. Not really.

The power goes out. The traffic appears. The school refusal happens. Life just does its thing.

What we can work on is how we respond. And even then, we’re not going to get it right every time. I didn’t this morning. But I noticed it. I caught myself. And that’s actually the whole thing.

It’s not about being calm all the time. It’s about being aware enough in the moment to find your way back.

Even if it takes a traffic jam and your kid asking if you’re okay to get you there.

What’s your morning been looking like lately? I’d love to hear. Send me an email and let’s talk.

Much love

Tanya x