Recently Meg texted me in the middle of a school day and was all like "GO TO A MOVIE WITH ME OR DON'T BOTHER COMING HOME," which was weird because we don't live together.

I normally oppose going to all movies at all costs when those movies are played during the day hours because I find coming out of a movie theater when it's light outside to be supremely depressing.

But I've had a relatively stressful work week/month/year/life and I love myself so I decided I would just take some time and do it.

I met Meg at the theater at 4:00 in the afternoon. She wanted to see a movie called Tully. No spoilers here, but basically it's about a woman with two kids who has a third baby and is super overwhelmed with caring for the newborn.

And y'all. Like 20 minutes into this movie I was so stressed about motherhood that scheduling a dozen spa days is basically a medical necessity for me right now. I went shopping right after the movie and charged everything to my insurance card.

I'm one thousand percent convinced that Meg wanted me to go to this movie with her because of every time I've screamed at her for not staying caught up on TV shows because she was too busy dealing with sick children and I'm like "CHANGE YOUR PRIORITIES OR DON'T BOTHER COMING HOME."


Oh, that is fun to say.

The ending of the movie was so touching that both of us were ugly crying NOT THAT WE'RE UGLY and Meg basically turned to me and screamed "SEE?! MOTHERHOOD IS UNRELENTING!" which was an interesting thing for someone who was at a movie at 4:00 in the afternoon on a weekday to scream at someone else.

Then I went home and I basically didn't sleep the entire night. I'm not kidding you about this. I don't know the last time a movie had that kind of impact on me. I couldn't stop thinking about all of the moms I know and how truly incredible it is that they have the energy to do what they do.

Last year I wrote similar sentiments after watching my sister's kids for a couple of days, during which I aged 12 years and cried twice. But then the next day I was back at home being fed grapes by several household servants while a musician sang and fanned me with a large leaf. So I forgot everything I learned.

But Tully reminded me that motherhood is hard.

And I didn't even have to change a diaper this time!

It can be easy for me to lose perspective on what life that isn't like mine looks like. Life is exhausting in different ways for each of us. And every single one you should be proud for pushing through that exhaustion, whatever yours looks like, to make your impact on your little world, whatever it may be.

Meg doesn't hear it enough from me, but I think she's exceptional. And she didn't even have to force me to go to a day movie to convince me of that. But it did help remind me.

Please be a little kinder to the exhausted people you know today, and give a hand where you can, too.

Or don't bother coming home.

And now, this week's Strangerville:


This time in Strangerville, Eli and Meg talk Twitter. And an 12-year-old girl takes a prank phone call a little too far.StoryPrank Call, by Kina Scott (music by bensound.com)Produced by Eli McCann and Meg Walter


~It Just Gets Stranger