They joke about the packages on the porch

 They joke about the packages on the porch.

The ones that pile up day after day.
They roll their eyes. Call it an addiction.
Say we’re always shopping. Always spending.

But they don’t see the why behind the boxes.

They don’t see the school supplies for tomorrow’s project we just found out about tonight.
The birthday gift for the party this weekend.
The restock of snacks for lunchboxes.
The toilet paper. The diapers. The socks that mysteriously vanish into thin air.
The toothpaste you didn’t even know we were out of yet.

They don’t see the mental tabs we keep open.
The checklists running on loop in our heads.
The invisible load we carry that makes the house run like it does.

We’re not just shopping.
We’re solving.
We’re anticipating needs before they become problems.
We’re keeping everyone’s world spinning with every “add to cart.”

So no those packages aren’t a punchline.
They’re proof.
Proof of all the little things we do.
All the love we pour into making a life for our families.

So yeah, maybe there’s another box on the porch today.
But behind it is a woman who’s doing her damn best.
To hold it all together.
Quietly. Constantly. Unseen.

Let’s start giving her more credit and a little less judgment.