I awoke at 5am to a fevered six-year-old climbing into bed with me.

Every place her skin touched mine was burning up.

I stumbled out of bed to get the thermometer, my eyes bleary and unfocused.

It was day three of LP's fever.

The second day she would be home from school.

The second morning that would begin with a temperature check, cool washcloth on her red cheeks, and cajoling her to drink water.

Unlike yesterday morning, my abs were super sore.

Because the previous night I'd been up until midnight with a bad case of food poisoning...and all the accompanying bodily responses to that.

When it rains it pours, amiright?

This week has not gone according to my plans.

I was going to finalize edits on my book.

I was going crank out work for Screen Freed Revolution and for my clients.

I was going to hit the gym every day.

Then parenting happened.

We all know how that goes.

We have all lived some version of "I had a plan and then parenting came along..."

And just like me, you too rose to those occasions. (though maybe with less throw-up in your hair)

There is nobody with more grit than a sick child's parent digging deep inside themselves to a reservoir of energy they didn't know they had.

I've seen my friends do this as parents over and over again. I watched my parents do the same.

Parents are wild, wonderful creatures.

So the next time there's something to be done that really matters (meaning it supports your values, not societal expectations or that rude inner critic voice), and you're having a conversation with yourself that goes something like,

"Ugh, I can't. I just can't. Nobody else is. Who am I to do this? I am not strong/brilliant/capable/sexy/whatever enough..."

You swipe those thoughts away like they're a bad match on a dating app!

You CAN. You are enough.

You have been practicing tenacity and agility every moment since that tiny, adorable, unpredictable, helpless human first lay in your arms.

You are capable beyond measure.

PSA: You're a freakin' badass.

Jenna Lee "that's what I came here to say" Dillon

PS - If one of the things you've been all "I can't do it" about is cutting back on screen time, foist of all, yes you can! Second of all, I'm here to help. Download this master doc I made to guide you and start today!