By: Jen Wainwright
Can we be real for a minute? I mean … Real?
You see, my grandma used to say that she had no use for, “a person who can’t say ‘shit’ when they have a mouthful.” You know these people? We all know these people. They run around acting like they’ve got sunshine straight beaming from every aspect of their lives. Everything in their lives is always, “Great!” No problems there.
Yeah.
Nope.
Sometimes you just have to say shit, when you have a mouthful.
Sometimes, life hands out just plain old … shit. You didn’t get that job. Shit. You were passed up for that promotion, too. Ain’t that some shit? You can’t stand your shitty-ass co-workers, or your shithead boss, or your job that pays-for-shit anyway. Shitty shit, sometimes.
And sometimes …well … your kids aggravate the shit out of you! True shit. They get into your shit, break your shit, interrupt your shit – make you feel like you’re losing your shit! That shit can get overwhelming!
And sometimes … shit just isn’t going right with your partner either. You know that kind of shit? Can’t communicate and shit. He-doesn’t-do-enough-shit. Shit-hit-the-fan shit. He’s flat-out being a shit. (Or she is … Dads, I see you, too.) I know you know that kind of shit, marriage and shit …
And let’s not even talk about money or time. Because we all know there’s never enough of that shit …
But I’m with my grandma on this: The worst kind of shit is the pretending – to your friends or to yourself — that you never experience any Real Shit, the person who can’t say shit when they have a mouthful.
Because when you’re up to your eyeballs in shit, and you can’t quite get a handle on it … you have to be able to face that shit. Recognize that shit. See that you’re dealing with some shit, and know that shit will pass. It’s just some shit you’re going through that minute, that day, that shitty time in your life.
And remember: You’re not alone. Everybody has some shit. Everybody. (That’s some real shit, right there. You don’t see that shit on Facebook. But you know it’s there. No shit.)
And I sure-as-shit hope you have the friends that you need to help you get through your shit. The friends who go deeper than shootin’ the shit, who’ll get right into your shit with, “So how’s shit really going?” The friends that you can vent all your shit to, and who won’t tell you to get a
divorce and shit, or see a therapist and shit, or change your whole life and shit. Nah, just listen to your shit. A friend that will be there through your shit and love you no matter what kind of shit you’re in.
Be grateful for that shit. Real friends, that’s some good shit right there. When you can laugh together about all life’s shit …
Because you know, chances are … your partner will give you that shit-grin, and you’ll make up and shit.
And your kids. Well, you know without a doubt that your life wouldn’t mean shit without them.
And sometimes, life is “the shit”, too, right? Sometimes life is so smooth and beautiful that you can’t believe how lucky you are to be part of that shit! Don’t we all love the shit out of that shit?
But, other times.
Well.
You just have to say shit, when you have a mouthful.
JEN’S ZEN
— Because the damn dishes are never done. Laundry is a cruel joke. And because children are beautiful lessons in patience and counting. 10, 9, 8, 7 Breathe…
Jen is a freelance writer, parent to three, and she’s been a stepparent for over 15 years. She is well-equipped to discuss and write about the great, and the not-so-great, details of all-things-parenting. Along with spending quality time with her family, Jen enjoys music, chocolate, camping and relaxing. And laughing!