The In-Betweens

If you had asked me a month ago what my love language was, I would have said something romantic like quality time or words of affirmation . Fast forward to this week—where I resumed work, started my postgrad classes, and began in-person lessons with my students while also keeping two tiny humans alive—and I can confidently say my love language is now acts of service. Specifically, acts like "letting me nap for 20 minutes without interruption" or "bringing home food I didn’t have to cook." Oh, and did I mention that my husband started working out of town? So while I’m navigating my new academic, professional, and parenting marathon, he leaves early in the morning and returns late in the evening, adding another layer of chaos to our already action-packed lives. The Love Language Shift They say love languages can change over time, and I can confirm this is true. What used to be spontaneous jols and love notes has now evolved into, “Did you remember to buy more nap...

  If exhaustion had a face, it would be mine this week. With my husband out of town, I found myself deep in the trenches of solo parenting—juggling a newborn who believes sleep is for the weak and an almost five-year-old with the boundless energy of a small hurricane. By Tuesday, I was questioning my life choices. By Wednesday midday (Yes, a couple of hours ago!), I was convinced I had developed superhuman abilities. And if I make it to Friday in one piece? Let’s just say the only thing keeping me from collapsing into a heap of tears and baby spit-up is the promise of that Woolies Soft Scoop vanilla ice cream and a caramel gateaux cake at the finish line. Because nothing, and I mean nothing , is too much for a big bowl of comfort food. The Postgrad Registration Saga: A Tragicomedy in Three Acts While single-handedly running our little kingdom (read: chaos central), I was also in the midst of trying to register for my postgrad. Key word: trying . I had envisioned a smooth proces...