I can't touch my toes.
I can't ever remember being able to touch my toes.
Though my genetically short hamstrings haven't stopped me from pursuing my dreams, I do watch with a hint of envy as someone in yoga class bends in half at the waist.
In my role as a mother, physical flexibility is not as important as the other kind of flexibility. (thank goodness!)
Take today, for example. Mr. 7 should be on his way to the bus stop with his older brother and I should be folding laundry. (If I don't start early I'll never get it done. Pshaw - like laundry is ever
done.) But, after handing him a teaspoon of cough medicine I'm snuggled next to him in my bed while he watches a cartoon.
Does this bug me? Not the snuggling part - that I'm cool with - but having my schedule interrupted does.
My schedule:
Laundry
Dishes
Work
Lunch
Ms. 5 off to kindergarten
Work
Pick up
Vacuum
Food shopping
Kids home from school
and etc.
I know it's not very glamorous, but it's the life of a mother/author/employee/wife/cook/housekeeper/driver/and etc.
So how do I survive Mr. Schedule-interuptus? I have to stay flexible.
There was a time in my early mothering years when a sick kid would throw everything out of whack and I'd get cranky. I wouldn't take it out on them, but the mental turmoil was atrocious. I couldn't wait for the next day so I could rewrite my to-do list and have a reset.
Fortunately, it got easier over time. Like stretching a muscle, if I worked at it everyday eventually it will become longer, leaner, and I'd bend in half with ease. The more children I had and the older they get, the stretchier my schedule became. Not because I worked at relaxing, but because they forced me to prioritize over and over again. Each time I chose my children's health and happiness over having a clean house or sticking to a time table, my mommy-muscles stretched and grew.
I still have to work on it. That pile of laundry does weigh on me and my to-do list is calling. I'll look at it throughout the day and see what can be done, but Mr. 7 is my top priority and if I can help him get healthy, then I've done what really matters.
