The Times That Try Men's Souls

Where to start? I could start by complaining, but I won't. In times like these, I try very hard to remember the good things in life and how, for the most part, my life is wonderful. Most of my kids are healthy, my house is fairly clean, I have many, many things to keep me busy, I have a strong marriage. My life hasn't been turned upside down by an earthquake (as an aside - donate to the Red Cross to help Haiti - click the link to the left). Overall, life is good and I shouldn't complain. So think of this as musing, not complaining.

We had a great swim meet this weekend. This was one of the 3 biggest regular meets that our team hosts, being a prelim/final. We fed over 60 people three meals a day for 2 1/2 days. Everything went off without a hitch, including our "hospitality magic" that was wielded on Sunday night as we had to make dinner for 50 out of nothing. Exhausting as it was, we shared many, many laughs, a few tense and dramatic moments with the kids and some great swimming. The flip side to such careful planning is that we are away from our families for the entire weekend and they are on their own for the duration. The widowed husbands are left to figure out dinners and lunches and breakfasts, naps and diapers and sibling fights. I consider it good parent training because the husbands can become too dependent sometimes.

Thankfully, we had a day to recover before having to jump back into the school schedule today. This morning I am waking up to a sick child (the dramatic, throw-up sick), and a screaming baby whose ear tube surgery can't get here quickly enough! There is no food in the house (see above paragraph for the explanation why), and a husband who is going out of town. In addition to this, I have a deadline looming for a client's drapes and my machine is in the shop hopefully to be "sprung" today. Mt. Tide is growing exponentially because the washing machine is leaking water and the repairman isn't scheduled until tomorrow. Do I sound like I'm complaining? I apologize.

Times like this demand that I rise to the occasion. I hate rising to the occasion; but I must. I will hunker down and prioritize. What is most important? I can do this and get through it. After all, it isn't like my house is torn apart by an earthquake. - K