Tired. That is what this photo is capturing. I'm not so tired anymore, but I went through a long stretch of time (years) during which I felt tired a lot. This was when I had my babies, and when I was also working as a midwife. Being tired can become a way of life, but not a very good or productive one. For me, being tired is like treading water. You've got your head up, but there is no more energy left for swimming or graceful dives.
When I was tired, I had little room for creative thinking or doing. And I was not always as generous or kind to my family as I wanted to be. I've thought a lot about whether becoming a mother should automatically mean becoming exhausted. Has it always been this way, in all times and places?