Big Smile, No Teeth: Five lessons in exhaustion

He jumps on top of you at 6am, bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, and somehow, no matter how tired you are, you find a smile for him. — 123rf

It's  nearly the end of 2025 and of course I’m seeing the “top lists” of the year. Top songs. Top movies. Top books. I thought, hey, that’s a fun column, and then I realised I haven’t listened to any new music, I’ve read zero books this year, and if I made top 10 list of movies, the list would be seven movies long. 

That is to say, like most people with kids, I’m juggling a career, my boy, and all the other stuff in between, which means, my top 10 list is: The Five Things I’ve learned Though Exhaustion (mostly against my will). (Yes, I can count, I’m just too tired to get beyond five.)