Stretching Cry

Today I cried a stretching cry. You might be thinking what does that mean?  Maybe you're thinking, really Hillary, another weird metaphor? Yet, more likely, you're thinking "I don't exist. Who does Hillary even think is reading this blog post with a name like Stretching Cry?"

Well, today, I had a very negative interaction with a parent over the phone. It basically involved them calling me too young and then calling my professionalism / skill set into question. It really hurt. Since then, I've been storing up this big cry session. It's been threatening to come out all day, but it really was just scattered showers before the big event.

I worked my normal hours (from 6:45 to 8:30, obviously) and when I got home I decided to relax and de-stress by making myself cookies (fat kid). In the middle of making my cookies I got sidetracked by helping three kids via text with my physics lab. I wrote down examples on pieces of paper, took pictures, and texted it to them to help them see how to do it. I felt exhausted but I did it. Then I got back to my cookies just minutes before I received a phone call from another student. I spent about 40 minutes helping him to help a friend with their math homework. It was difficult to respond the way I should after the 20th and 21st question, but I kept at it.

After I got off the phone, I was just in time for a scheduled personal issue (not related to school) where I was forced to either be my best self of suffer the consequences. Surprisingly, I rose to the occasion yet again. Exhausted I crossed my last finish line (unless you count making cookies, I still haven't quite finished that...sad day).

Then came the big event.

The tears. They were the kind that come from the gut yet don't make a sound. They were the kind where your face is stretched so tight that pressure builds in your cheeks and forehead. The kind where your whole body is pretty tensed up, all focusing on the main event, the crying.

As I was crying, I reflected on my day, and identified the feeling as being stretched. It matched my physical and emotional feeling at the time.

Today I was stretched. I was pushed past what I thought I could handle and then given an extra few issues to deal with. It was painful but I survived. I'm stretching and growing. And sometimes that comes with some trials and some growing pains.

Hopefully, now that I'm all stretched out, tomorrow won't be half as painful.