Every now and then we just need time to ourselves, but in that time we often want to shut off from the world.
It's difficult to do though, we constantly have work to get through, kids to pick up and mums we bump into at after-school activities.
So how do we shield ourselves away?
Mum-of-two, Ginger, recently ventured out wearing her sunglasses, yes - the sun was out, but it wasn't necessarily a day for glasses.
Nonetheless, she persisted, because they weren't a shield against the sun, they were an all important accessory to hide her soul.
Writing on No Mama's Perfect, Ginger states: "Do you ever have those days? Days where, for no particular reason you can pinpoint, you feel raw and exposed."
"Your soul feels like it can be easily bruised and there is a need within to protect it. Or perhaps it has already been battered, and you're trying your best to conceal it. Either way, we hide."
"Maybe this is okay some days? That is, as long as it’s an every-now-and-then kind of thing, and doesn’t become a way-of-life kind of thing."
The feeling comes from a variety of places - but mainly because some days are just harder than others; burn out, overwhelming and tiring days to name a few.
The mum-of-two comments: "Our nerves are frayed, the unravelling expected to begin at any moment, and we simply desire to pull the covers up over our head blocking out all sounds of living."
"Maybe there’s a reason, or maybe not. And perhaps that’s okay too. We just don’t want to stay there. We can have our moments, but then we’ve got to throw the covers off, put feet to the floor, and embrace life."
And for this mama, it is the same with the soul - feeling it is OK to allow yourself privacy at times: "To hold our hearts close if only for a little while."
"Sharing our soul is where healing takes place. It’s where connections are made. It’s where hopes are shared. And ultimately it’s where life is lived."
So this mums advice to all parents is this: "Go ahead and wear the sunglasses from time to time. Allow your soul some space to be."
"But then, take the glasses off and toss them to the side. Look into another’s eyes, and embrace life in all its messiness and brokenness. Because life is meant to be lived. And it’s meant to be shared."
"And it’s in the sharing, that the broken can indeed become beautiful."
Never feel that you don't deserve a day to yourself, to feel, to think, to enjoy some space - all mums deserve this.
