Twelve. That's how many years we went to school together. A thousand. That's how many times we had to correct people for saying the wrong name to each one of us. Christine and I have known each other for decades. This past summer we got to toast one another in person at a little Irish bar in Yonkers. Lives are busy though and we don't all reconnect as much as we would if we lived closer. That's when Facebook can be a blessing. For all of the grief we give it...it actually helps us connect with so many we wouldn't be able to.
Today was one of those days when work was nice. I drove home in a calm state and was excited to pick the kids up. It was also one of those days when every little thing seemed complicated. It was the mad dash to clean the bathroom before the piano teacher came for the lesson. It was trying to get homework done with my first grader. Homework that should take fifteen minutes but for some reason seems to take longer than it took me to get through high school stuff. While balancing that I am keeping cats away from the dog and the dog away from the piano teacher. I am also sneaking loads of laundry down the hallway to wash and folding and hanging the clean one. I am washing broccoli to be steamed and prepping chicken for baking. And opening mail. And doing dishes. And trying to beat the next level of Candy Crush. You all know how it is. This isn't me whining...it's life. I love it all but man can it all come together just right some days and make you want to throw things. Little boys are quick to pout and patience can wear thin. We spin the plates on the many sticks we hold and dance. I was thinking about all of this just as a status update popped up from my dear old pal, Christine. Her married name is different but she will always be Ludwig to me.
It read, "Sometimes I feel like my paying job is the easy one!"
Funny, I had JUST been thinking those words a second before while folding laundry, listening to the final moments of this big piano lesson before this weekend's recital, answering another "Hey Ma" question and remembering I still had to pee (since who knows when). It was a validation of sorts to read those words. It's not just me!!!! Our thread continued and the next comment was, "My patience is very thin right now! I have been spending the past hour with homework and still have to cook dinner. FML!" Nooooooo way! I was just doing THAT as well. Back and forth with algebra IN THE FIRST GRADE and speech preparation with Emily. I had yelled. I had thrown a book. I even smacked the dog on the ass for eating the cat food. I was losing it. It went on, "And then I have to do laundry. Ugh? Maybe I should have a glass of wine right now!"
I had just put another load in. Spatola synchronicity indeed. SO I suggested that we HAVE a drink and toast one another. We work. We cook. We do laundry. We push our kids to do more and be better. We lose our patience. We get frustrated. We yell. We all do. I've heard you all tell me apologetically that you are a bad mom. Knock it off!!! We are human. And every here and there you grab a class of Cabernet Savignon (Christine) or a Blue Moon (yours truly) and you take a deep breath and sigh. It will all be fine. We will all be ok. But we may just be figuring out why so many of our parents has those cocktails while we were little...
To all of the parents out there busting their asses to do it all I thank you. These kids will turn out to be good adults. Just remember to be easy on yourself. I'll leave you with this quote from a rip off daily calendar thingie that I have taped to a cabinet in the kitchen..."The best gift you can give a child is to take care of their mother!" (Sometimes that means the mothers themselves!!!)
Here's to us! And to Ludwig...thanks for reminding me that I'm not alone in the challenges and the need for a little toast even if it is long distance!!!
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