Losing is never easy and frankly I’m tired of losing.

The other night I escaped to Target for some quiet. My plan was to pick up a necessary item to finish making my youngest’s Halloween costume. I got there to find it missing from the shelf.

Earlier, my oldest had refused to eat the beef stew I made.

Before that I had managed to step in dog poop as we raked the fallen leaves in our yard.

And before that I had awoken for the day, after waking multiple times throughout the night, to an inbox full of emails with more demands and deadlines that seem impossible to achieve.

I mean that’s a four game losing streak all in one day.

I’m tired of losing to the never-ending pile of dishes even though the dishwasher is loaded and on its second cycle of the day.
Tired of losing to snacks after working so diligently in the kitchen.

I’m tired of losing to tantrums and the ever-changing unwritten rules of my toddler’s imagination.
Tired of losing to limited bed space and sleepless nights.

I’m tired of losing to dark Zoom screens, failed remote lessons and district demands too far out of reach.
Tired of losing to items out of stock, failed craft projects and forgotten tasks left incomplete.

I’m tired of losing.

But later, as I sat snuggling my baby as she nodded off to sleep, I realized that Motherhood, as challenging as it can be, is a game I will participate in every single day.

Some days I may get lucky and bat .500. Other days, like today, I may strikeout every at bat. And most days I’m thrown an unexpected curveball.

But moments like this make me so thankful to have been blessed with a spot on this team. Blessed to call this team mine.

Thankful for the wins of belly laughs and silly tickles.
For the wins of tackling fears and celebrating with high fives.

For the wins of quiet story time and cuddles.

For the wins of moments of discovery and new adventures.

For the wins of giant bear hugs and little kisses.

Because every day that I get with these teammates of mine, is a home run in my scorebook.

And even if the losses come one after another all in one day, my heart’s scorebook is keeping a different score.