You look tired

Probably my favorite line in the last 24 hours came last night when a woman looked at me and said, "oh, you look so tired, are you ok?" And the funny part was that I felt great. I even washed my hair, blew it dry and put on a little make up. To make matters even worse, I have gotten a lot of sleep lately. There is really nothing more deflating to your ego than having someone say you look tired when you walked out of the house thinking you looked like a million bucks.

When I got home I took a closer look at myself. Maybe tired is my new look. The last three years have certainly been an onslaught of changes and adjustments and worry. They have also been filled with some of the happiest moments of my life but even the happiest moments have come as a result of change and compromise. It certainly is easy to look less tired when you are 5 years younger living on your own across from the giants ballpark running to the gym every morning and going to spin class at night before stopping at whole foods for a salad on the way home to a quiet apartment. But at night as a I sat in my quiet apartment and marveled at the lights of the Bay Bridge, I longed for exactly what I have. Maybe not the tighter clothes or the dark circles or the soft belly and stretch marks. Those just come with the territory I guess and I am proud to have them. Even prouder to have the husband and children that came with all of the above.

Instead of getting defensive or feeling deflated after someone says I look tired I should probably just say thank you and move on. Yes, I am tired, but my life wasn't nearly as meaningful when I was well rested.