Getting Things Done

For two days in a row, my role as mother has taken precedence over teacher. Yesterday, I secured afternoon coverage to take my middle son to a doctor's appointment. It was mid-day and the blue sky sparkled in a way that I don't often get to see it. There wasn't any traffic because most people were in the thick of their work day. Even though it was our first visit, we arrived on time and made it back with almost an hour to walk the dog before my youngest made it off his afternoon bus.

Today, it was the orthodontist--again for my middle. We usually schedule these trips for after-school hours for him, but it was an excuse for me to leave a little after contract. I zipped across the field with quick instructions for the teen to take out the dog before I headed over to the elementary school with ten minutes to spare before dismissal. That's right. I strolled in minutes before the other moms, through the back door that only those "in the know" use. Then, after a drive-by to pick up the one with braces for a swift update on his wires, we went through the grocery store checkout line with ingredients for dinner...for two nights. And coffee. Won't run out before the weekend. Nope.

And it is this post that makes me wonder, but not for the first time, why in the world getting simple errands done for my family feels like a biblical miracle. I've got a mid-life itch, but I don't need a new job. I just need to go home more often.