Oh boy- It's back to school time

Yep- it's time for books, backpacks, buses...oh my! I'm writing this week about an unexpected life change I experienced almost one week ago when my youngest started kindergarten and my oldest started 2nd grade. Of course I knew in my mind that they would both be in school five full days per week for the first time and I wouldn't be juggling work on top of a preschool and elementary school schedule....but it really hit me at approximately 1pm on their second full day of school. It was a day of the week I normally work from home, I'd finished a busy morning of emails, calls, etc then went for a run over "lunch".....only to return to my home and realize I STILL had an hour and 1/2 before they were to be picked up.

This is when the all of the sudden, as if it weren't there before, the quietness of the house became apparent, then the realization that everything I'd picked up in the morning after they left stayed picked up, after that a very strange/new sensation came over me. A sensation of getting a tiny taste of freedom in the form of having nobody to answer to for the next hour and 1/2. My skin actually tingled. I know many of you without kids are reading this thinking, what in the heck is she freaking out about? All I can tell you is that as a busy working mother who manages everything that I do while living at warp speed, I've haven't felt that sense of freedom since I was in my 20's-(and I'm not saying how long ago that was). I think I was so caught up in the tears over my baby starting kindergarten, labeling school supplies, and the nerves over hoping my 2nd grader got the teacher he wanted that it never crossed my mind that on those coveted days I work from home I'd be....you got it....alone. Yes! I have myself all to myself for a few precious hours a week and it is strange, thrilling, and overwhelming all at the same time. The overwhelming part of that emotion comes from having sooooo many things I'd love to do and not knowing where to start. So for the first couple of weeks I'm going to use that time to work out harder/more often and catch up on household administrative "stuff". After that I have wonderful visions of reading, writing, taking time to market my side work that I enjoy, and maybe catching up with friends too. One thing for sure- it's a life change and it's also a HUGE opportunity to use that time to improve myself and treat myself well..... and you can bet I'm going to utilize every little minute of it!

Cheers to all the moms out there who have experienced this, who have been living with this bit of freedom for years already, and also for all the moms with tiny ones who can't even imagine the feeling of having all of your kids in school for 6.5 hours, 5 days per week:)

The Law of the Garbage Truck

Some of you may have seen an email going around about "The Law of the Garbage Truck". If you look back on the very first blog I wrote I mention that you need to avoid those who gush toxic negativity into your world. This email which was sent to me this week caught my attention because the story goes on to tell about a driver who is almost hit by another vehicle by no fault of his own, only to have the driver of the other vehicle yell at him after the near miss! His reaction was to smile (not sarcastically, but sincerely smile) and wave, then move on. When asked how he could just "blow that off" like he did he explained that many people are like garbage trucks; they run around full of garbage, full of frustration, full of anger, and full of disappointment. As their garbage piles up, they need a place to dump it and sometimes they'll dump it on you. Don't take it personally. Just smile, wave, wish them well, and move on. Don't take their garbage and spread it to other people at work, at home, or on the streets. I also think this is an excellent analogy to share with any kids in your life about the value of being kind to others. The bottom line is that successful people do not let garbage trucks take over their day. Life's too short to wake up in the morning with regrets, so..... 'Love the people who treat you right. Pray for the ones who don't.'