At some point in the last six months, I have taken on a new job. There is no pay. There is no glory. There are no thank yous. Most days there are just lots of complaints. My new job involves shuttling my children around town, whenever and wherever their busy schedules demand. I've learned a few things about them, about myself and about getting organized that I never would have learned any other way, I suppose.
1. Carry a book with you everywhere. Sitting in the Planet Funk studio trying to tune out the pounding beat of the Black Eyed Peas is a whole lot easier when you have a good book to read. Waiting in the car for sports practice to end goes a lot better when you're in the middle of a good story. Or even a bad story. I've reached the point where I'll read almost anything.
2. Know where to find the bathrooms. When you only have 15 minutes to run a quick errand between the drop off and the pick up, you don't want to waste precious time looking for the restrooms. Scope those out first, everywhere you go.
3. No matter how good my intentions, no matter how complete my understanding of the importance of good nutrition for growing children, we WILL eat a meal from a drive through at least once a week. At least I know that the burrito from Taco Cabana will be eaten, whereas the yummy homemade chick pea patties will simply be poked and pushed around their plates. And I won't have a bunch of dirty dishes and some mom cussing going on after a late night soccer practice.
4. I will get lost. Despite mapquest, GPS in my phone and carefully looking up the directions before we leave the house, I will at some point need to do some quick turn arounds and yell, "stop talking and LOOK for it."
5. Everything in life now requires a bottle of water. Dance class - bring a bottle of water. Volleyball - bring a bottle of water. Writer's workshop - bring a bottle of water. Swim practice - bring a bottle of water. I grew up with someone pointing me toward a rusty garden hose. All that time as a kid, and I never knew just how close I was to dehydration at every moment.
6. I can work from anywhere. Vacation, driving down I-10 at 75 miles an hour, sitting at a softball game...doesn't matter. Through the miracle of modern technology I can now be reached any time of the day or night, in any location around the globe. I can text, e-mail, and phone anyone. I fixed payroll problems while standing in a hallway at the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History. Offices are becoming obsolete. So is personal time.
7. This will all end way too soon. I remind myself daily that these are just a few short years out of my life, and it won't be long before they don't need me. I'll just look for good deals on gas until this too passes.
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