Close the laptop. Go to Honors Day.

In my part of the world, May is not a month. It's a mood.

School performances. End-of-year everything. Work sprints before summer. The group chats blowing up. The calendar that somehow got even fuller than April.

If you're feeling it — you're not alone. And you're not failing.

Here's what I've learned about getting through the chaos without losing yourself:

Name it. MayHEM is a season. It has an end date. Knowing that helps.

Protect one thing. Not everything. One thing each day that is just for you. A walk. A quiet morning. A dinner without your phone. Guard it like a meeting you can't move.

Let work wait. Your kid's spring concert or honors day is not a conflict. It's a priority. The email can wait two hours. The presentation will get done. But that moment in the auditorium watching your child beam from the stage? You don't get that back - ever. Kids keep growing, don't miss these moments. It's as much about us as it is them.

May 18, 2018: Time flies! Jaya's 5th grade graduation. Henry in 3rd. Manu in pre-K.

Let some things be good enough. Not everything in May (or ever) needs to be perfect. Done is beautiful.

Breathe before you respond. To the emails. To the requests. To the kids. One breath. Every time.

The fear I wrote about last week? It applies here too. May feels overwhelming because we let it mean something about us — our worth, our capability, our ability to hold it all together.

It doesn't.

You'll never regret these personal moments. Remember, you're just in May. 🩵