On this first day of my 46th year (I think that is how it works when you are 45 years old and a day, right? anyway, whatever), I think I realized what my priorities in life are!
Hint: my priorities do not include showering, because that did not happen. Nor do my priorities include budgeting, because that did not happen! I also did not organize the sock bin, do an ab workout, stop and smell the roses (all the roses are dead in the heat!) or hold the door for strangers.
You know what I did: I approached the day with a can-do attitude, with a side of complaining and got almost everything done. My priority in life is surviving!
Here's how my morning went:
6:07 am
Knock at the door. It is gentle and not-jarring--you know it is not the swat team or your middle child coming to take you away and at the same time, it is not a serial killer or your youngest child coming to terrorize you. The oldest had a cookie baking emergency and needed immediate help.
6:09 am
Speak for 7 minutes about the ridiculousness of a swim team cookie bake-off on a summer Monday. Discuss alternatives which include: no cookie bake-off and no cookie bake-off. At minute 5, realize that you will never not participate and since your only priority is survival, you support gentle knocker child in the production of sugar cookie cup cookies.
6:31 am
Tell the quiet knocker to "go away and let me sleep for 10 minutes" and go away and sleep for 10 minutes.
6:41 am
Get up and check on cookie progress. Pass out for 7 more minutes.
6:48 am
Lost time. No idea what went on.
7:10 am
Begin waking the others and demanding they get up and find their goggles.
7:45-11:15 am
These 3.5 hours were marked with 47 runs to a variety of locations within 2 miles of our home. There were drop-offs and pick-ups and even a brief pause for gardening. There was an hour of arguing with the pharmacy and doctor about prescriptions. 15 minutes of guessing dog's birthday in order to pick up dog insulin. Moments of work and accomplishment. And then, there was the thought of a shower.
11:30 am
No time to shower! Have to work!
Then at some point it became noon. I picked up child from Vacation Bible School and went to REI and spent all the money on clothing for my baby girl (the quiet knocker!) to go on an adventure to camp in the wilderness with other teenagers who survived cancer. I told the woman at REI about the camp and she said:
"boy, you've been through it. I can tell you know how to survive."
I mean I cannot survive, like in the wilderness, but I can certainly survive in the wilds of motherhood.
It's all about priorities friends and survival is the only priority I've got.
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