Small magic of unexpected free time

There is an old folk tale, I don't remember the name, that I used to tell to the kids when I was a preK aide, and I used figures on a felt board.  It is about a man who never gets any piece and quiet in his house because  his kids and pets are so loud, and so he asks for advice. He is told to bring a farm animal, his cow, into the house. Of course that makes it worse because the cow moos all night on top of the noise of his kids and pets, but when he asks for advice again he is told to bring one more animal, his pig, into his house, and again it makes it worse because the pig oinks so much.  This goes on until he has all his farm animals in his house and he doesn't get even a wink of sleep. When he goes to ask advise for the last time he is told to take all the farm animals back out of the house so it is just his kids and pets again. He does and he is in heaven because the house seems so quiet, he sleeps better than he has in years. 

I think of this tale a lot because it really works. We don't sleep much at my house due to my son Jace mostly. If I get thinking how bad it is, it inevitably gets worse, and then, when it goes back to the way it was, it "seems" like it is better! And that's really all we need, to feel like things have gotten better. 

It also applies to free time. 5 years ago, jace's autism made him so hyper that I could not even sit down when we were outside. Someone had to stand by him and follow him around at all times because you just never knew what he might do, and he did try to run off or do dangerous things often. Now that he is 14, he is so much calmer, and I can sit in the hammock and just keep an eye on him without having to chase him. It is heaven to relax a bit. It is still not the kind of relaxing others might enjoy who are used to a different kind of free time, but to me it is wonderful because I never thought I would get here. 

I think this applies to whatever your struggles might be.... things keep changing all the time. And once you have had some sort of trouble, you appreciate the good times even more.

And he loves to relax in the hammock now too. I got to paint this watercolor and these ladybugs for my fairy garden while he chilled.