It Always Could Be Worse

I sort of felt like I was losing my mind this weekend.

With two twenty-year-olds in the house.
My husband.
A three year old, who always wants to be a princess. And now talks back. As a princess.
A four year old, who always wants to play baseball and use the furniture as playground equipment.
A blind wiener dog who has to be carried up and down the stairs all day.
Four piles of laundry that had to be done. And then folded. And then put away. And then done again.
Three parties, one of which Matt was in charge of. And one where I had to bake and bring 6 dozen cookies to.
Also, I work.

So, I didn't really want to face anyone on Monday morning.
I was struggling. Bad.

Then, I took the kids to the library and I saw this children's book.

It is called "It Always Could Be Worse"

Isn't it amazing how children's literature is really written for adults?

It's a Ukrainian children's story from a Yiddish tale of Jewish folklore.

The story starts out with a man going to see his Rabbi complaining that he and his wife, his mother and six children all live in one room in their house and it has dissolved into chaos.

He seeks the Rabbi's advice. Which is?

Bring his chickens into his house.

It just brings on more madness.

He returns to the Rabbi.

The Rabbi tells him to bring in his goat.

Even more madness ensues.

Back to the Rabbi; who tells him to bring in the family cow.

Once the chaos becomes absolutely intolerable because chickens, geese, goats, a cow and a horse with a wife, a mother, a man and six children in a house is ACTUAL CHAOS! The man returns to the Rabbi who tells him to take all of the animals out of the house and to see what happens.

The whole family finds peace.

In the house that was too small for them at the beginning of the story.

The man returns to the Rabbi and this is what he says,

I decided to just find peace. Even in the midst of the chaos. We have so many pockets of quiet and fun all day long, there isn't enough time to waste being grumpy and overwhelmed. I still am grumpy and overwhelmed. Especially when it comes to grocery shopping. But, this time isn't going to last much longer. And we are going to look back on it with great fondness. Tonight, we were all around the dinner table together as we have been nearly every night for the past two weeks and I had joy over how sweet our little/large family is.

Chaos is chaos. Love is love. And It Could Always Be Worse.