I am very blessed with a work schedule that is flexible and consists of full days (10hours +) and other days I work what I call my ½ days (only 7 hours). My ½ days at work end at 3pm and then my real job kicks in. It all starts with the pickup line at school and then proceeds to various and sundry errands, chores, practices, appointments, etc…
Today was a typical ½ day at work culminating with pickup, home, dinner, & basketball practice. As I write, I am at basketball practice with AA practicing the first hour and AB finishing up with hour two. Due to my OCD nature, I try to plan out my days and stick every possible thing that I can get into them till my face hits the pillow (or the couch—whichever comes first). Well, today was no different. Now I will actually get to what this post is supposed to be about in the first place…bear with me you one or two readers out there. To quote my friend over at Joni’s Joy, "feel free to click the little red box up in the right hand corner at any time!"
I received some money from my in-laws for Christmas and had ordered a couple of books that I had wanted for a while. I had been anxiously awaiting their arrival at my front door. I had a plan in place just in case “today was the day”. Well, it was THE DAY!! My package was sitting there on my front porch waiting on my arrival. I immediately sprung into action with my plan. I had 2 hours before I had to leave for basketball practice. I would spend 30 minutes monitoring homework, signing agendas, etc…I would throw in a load of clothes, prepare supper for the kids, put the adults supper warming on the stove for “after practice” in the next hour and this would leave me with 30 WHOLE MINUTES to sit in my chair and begin one of my NEW BOOKS!
Let me just summarize my long sought after 30 minutes of reading time…
5:35pm—I sat down in my chair; kitchen cleaned, big people’s food on the warmer, children fed and assigned to get backpacks ready for AM and also told how desperately I would like to read for the 30 minutes before b’ball practice. I open my book.
5:40pm—Aa came in to ask me to look at an advertisement on one of his PS2 games. I have read one paragraph (a very short one I might add).
5:43pm—Ab comes in to go over her history questions for a test that is scheduled for FRIDAY (this is Tuesday---is OCD hereditary??) I am still on the same paragraph…
5:46pm—I hear both children’s CD players now blaring Adventures in Odyssey. I quietly YELL (to be heard over Whit and the rest of the crew) to please turn them down, “I AM TRYING TO READ!”
5:47pm—I get up to see how much time I have left…I am on a roll now…I am about to begin my 2nd paragraph...maybe.
5:50pm—Ab decides to torment the cat with a red laser in her room and it sounds like the wall behind my chair is about come down…I bang on the wall to try to get someone’s attention…anyone’s attention!!
5:54pm—I am still on that 2nd paragraph when Aa comes down to go over his memory verse…how can I say no to that?
5:56pm—Not to be outdone by her bother, Ab enters the room to go over HER memory verse as well…once again, how can I say “run along now, Mommy wants to READ!!!”
5:59pm—I am beginning to realize that man’s best made plans…well…you know the rest…
6:00pm—It’s time for b’ball practice and I was able to get in almost 2 paragraphs, but will have to re-read because I’m not real sure what I even READ!!
At first I was frustrated, aggravated, and unnerved to no end. Then it hit me that the day will come, sooner than later, that I will beg my children to vye for my attention, to talk to me, to ask for my help, and to laugh out loud. As I sit on this bleacher watching my son play basketball, not really having a clue as to what he is doing, he is smiling over at me, just making sure I'm watching...and I am...
God forgive me for my selfish ambitions...That book will not grow old...but I am and so are my children...
Carpe' Diem...
God forgive my selfish thoughts and actions...
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