There is one room in our house I find myself retreating to whenever I need a moment or two of silence, somewhere to watch a Snapchat video without interruption, or a place to have a good cry alone. My closet has become my sanctuary. And not because it’s by any means fancy, has good lighting or comfortable seating. It doesn’t even have a lock on the door. It’s simply the room in our house that is the most quiet and is the farthest away from everyone. If you can’t find me, I’m likely hiding there.

Sometimes I need to listen to a little music to get my head straight. Sometimes I need to reply to an email or text message that I would like to put a little extra love into. After I’ve had a chance to collect myself – I can reemerge and be fully present with my family again.

There will be a day when I will no longer share a house with these rowdy rascals and will fondly remember the days of awful repetitive music from plastic toys, the sound of a hundred legos crashing on the hardwood floor, the demonstration of outside voices, and the constant barrage of “MOOOOOOOOOMMMMM?!”. There will come a time when instead of hiding, I’ll be yearning for these noise polluted days again (maybe?) so I try to keep it all in perspective.

I remember when I was working full-time, traveling and doing a lot of networking and face time with colleagues, I would find myself needing a break then, too. I remember closing the bathroom stall door and being able to exhale a bit and regroup before heading out to shake more hands and discuss more strategy. I remember the feeling of walking into an empty hotel room at the end of the day, grateful for the peace and debating if I could skip out on the group dinner.

I think all of this means I have some introverted tendencies. (Yes, It’s Possible To Be Both An Introvert And An Extravert) And being an introvert and a mom can be challenging at times – especially when you’re continually asked to be the voice of a My Little Pony.

Introvert or not, we all need a break. A break from work, a break from kids, a moment to ourselves. So, where do you find yourself slinking away to for some extra protected time? I have a friend who puts a show on for her boys so she can take a bath – and they stay put! Another friend goes out to her car in the garage where the wifi still works. Ha!

For me, for now, you can find me here.

Photography by Gagewood.