Authentically Adele

Today at work, I got goosed… Meaning, I was the one chosen to go home early. And the rest is history!!!

There’s no delay. The moment the announcement comes up and your name is called — it’s time to leave. I left work early. And what’s the first thing I did when I walked into my home?

Made myself a hot cup of coffee. A Krispy Kreme doughnut on the side. It felt surreal to drink a hot cup of coffee in one sitting… no reheating… no interruptions. I even put my phone on silent mode.

Then I decided to have an actual meal. And honestly, how was it that I could eat without having to get up to dish up more for someone else… or reheat food… or find the salt… or stop to do something for someone? Just me, eating a meal. Unbelievable.

Afterwards, I sat down to read my Bible and pray. I read in silence. I prayed in silence. This time my prayers did not include:

“Heavenly Father thank You for—
Ariah, no you cannot have that—
Thank You for this day—
Thank You for—
What is it now, Ezra?—
Lord I pray that—
Ok listen guys, I just need 5 mins. Please. I just want to pray—”

Nope. Today, it was just me and God.

When my extra prayer time was over, I wrapped Christmas presents and booked a charity collection for next week. I kept thinking, wow… this is unbelievable. What should I do next? I chose not to go shopping. Not to do my hair. Not to scroll on my phone. I chose time to just be me.

Turns out, I really needed this moment — I never even realised how much.

Then I called my mother, and then my sister. My other two sisters were working. And I had this déjà vu moment — oh wow… this is what an adult conversation feels like. No interruptions. No little voices asking for something. Just talking. I really enjoyed that. But I didn’t stay on call long.

I even cleaned the house before going to pick up my children at 5:30. And yes, lol, they were at after-school club. Don’t worry — they had dinner, they were happy, and they begged me to let them stay extra and bring them back again!

As much as I enjoyed the stillness and quiet of those few hours, I recognise and love the season of life I’m in. I don’t mind drinking the same cup of coffee all day, reheating it five times. I don’t mind giving away the last few chips. I don’t mind any of it. I’m grateful for these moments.

But today reminded me of the importance of this kind of moment too — the quiet ones, the still ones. Just to recharge. To breathe. To encourage oneself to keep on keeping on.