As a die-hard John Cusack fan, I love a good turn-of-the-century Cusack pop culture reference. Hence today’s "Top 5" list. One thing I have noticed when I am up in the middle of the night with my screaming baby is that it gives me a lot of time to think. And what was I thinking about the other night, you might ask? Why, the Top 5 difficult things I have experienced in my life, of course! Here they are in very particular, countdown-to-the-top order:
5. The "bridge accident," my not-so-near-death experience (a crew thing)
4. Potty training my toddler
3. Erging a 2k test (another crew thing)
2. Natural childbirth
1. Sleep training my babies!
There are other experiences that could have made the list. The death of my favorite cousin Clay is an experience none of my family will ever fully get over, and I felt it unfair to compare it to anything else I have been through. Then there are the experiences I’ve had overseas (using a rural "bathroom" in Kenya, trying to find a store to purchase a pillow in the UK, nearly running out of gas in Scotland, looking for my hotel room in Venice, etc….), but that’s another list for another day. I’ve got tons of husband-related items too, but they’re just more run of the mill, garden-variety, banal bitching comments. Ultimately I decided that to make the list, I had to say to myself in the moment of the experience, "This CAN’T be happening to me." A little pain also helped move a few up the list.
When I figure out #1 on the list, I’ll let you know. I’m rooting for the sleep training story to turn out to be a comedy, but today I’d have to say it’s a tragedy. I’ll say this much…raising babies is not for the faint of heart.