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My First Friday: Holding the Fort While He Travels Africa

I’ve made it to my first Friday!
The first Friday of a month away from my husband, while he travels across Africa, and I… well, I run the small nation-state that is our home.

Let’s be honest, this isn’t just “holding down the fort.”
This is logistics, diplomacy, crisis management, emotional regulation, and Uber‑Momming all rolled into one.

While Adrian hops between countries, I’m here juggling:

  • A home that refuses to pause just because he’s away
  • A kid with schedules that multiply the moment I blink
  • An office that still expects me to be a functioning adult
  • The dreaded report that lurks like a villain in a Marvel origin story
  • The ongoing ingrown toenail saga (because of course)
  • And the IEB Concession fight, a full-time advocacy job all on its own

As if that list wasn’t enough, this season comes with early mornings.
The kind of early mornings that should be illegal.

Let me be clear:
I am not a morning person.
I do not “rise and shine.”
I rise… and then only shine after 10.

Before 10, I am a decorative houseplant with opinions.

But here I am, setting alarms, dragging myself out of bed, and pretending to be functional while doing school runs, hockey drop-offs, and life admin, all before my brain has even downloaded its morning software update.

And somewhere in the middle of all this, my body has decided to chime in too.
Not dramatically, just that quiet, unsettling “I don’t feel quite right” feeling.
Maybe it’s anxiety.
Maybe it’s stress.
Maybe it’s my brain and body being a little theatrical.

Either way, it’s there. A heaviness, a tightness, a sense of being slightly off-centre.
I can’t quite name, but I know it’s my system whispering, “Hey… this is a lot.”

BUT

Here I am. Still standing, showing up, and doing the things that need to be done, even when my body is waving a tiny white flag and my mind is trying to negotiate a ceasefire.

Today marks the first Friday, a small milestone, but a milestone nonetheless. A quiet “look at me go” moment. So, naturally, this weekend first weekend of solo parenting should be fun… not.

Joshua has a hockey tour that requires very early morning starts and late evening finishes on both Saturday and Sunday, because why have one long day when you can have two back-to-back marathons that begin before my brain has even loaded its operating system.

So, I’ll take it “in stride”…
But let’s not pretend it’s a casual stroll. It’s more like a determined march with a slightly frayed flag, a tight chest, a 6 a.m. alarm, and a sense of humour holding everything together.

Here’s to the first Friday.
Here’s to the next few weeks.
Here’s to everyone who has ever held the world together while their partner is somewhere far away, or just being a single parent, even when their own body is quietly asking for a moment, and even when mornings come far too early.

We don’t just cope, we orchestrate.


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