Perspective

This Mom Cave has gotten stuffy! Don't you agree?

What has happened to Spring? I've somehow let it become buried in neighbor's dogs, toilet regression, sleepless nights, ticks, meltdowns, obsessions and endless chatter. I need a mental smackdown.

I decided this morning that I needed to meet the day with a spring in my step. If I played my cards properly, I could have my younger son delightfully occupied in the back yard with our treasured neighbor while our older son was sleeping off his midnight, one-man party. It was a gutsy move, but I was going to chance it for an opportunity to be ALONE--even if it was only to go to the grocery store.

So, I did it. FREEDOM! And, I brought with me what every gal needs on a trip to the grocery store: some high heels and a tiara.

It had to be done. My Spring Break funk needed an emergency extraction. If mama's blah, the entire family is blah. And, well, that just won't do!

I rolled up the bottoms of my jeans to give my shoes extra emphasis. It was 9:30 am, I didn't look like a hooker, right? I mean, I know hookers don't usually "work" the local grocery store, but, well, I guess they have to buy groceries, too, right? Maybe the tiara balanced out the potential hooker-esque quality of my shoes. So, I put it on.

Oh, yes, I did! A good friend of mine gave me a tiara. It isn't gigantic. It is the size of a hair comb, about two inches square. It had just the right amount of understated here-I-am-and-I-can-be-girly-if-I-want-to in it.

Yes, this is what a gal needs to escape from the demands of special needs. This is just what the doctor ordered. I pushed my cart, looking foxy and fine in the produce section, thinking that I was going to make this trip last a while. Maybe I'd try some new foods? Maybe the children really should be eating better. Bok Choy. Yes. We could be a family that eats Bok Choy! And, I could puree beets and put them in just about anything! The day spread before me with endless possibilities!

I felt reborn.

It was about then that my cell phone rang. Our dear neighbor said that my older son had awakened and was crying with stomach pain. This child is a complex character. I really don't leave him alone with anyone else but my husband or me, particularly when he is in pain.

I put the Bok Choy on the shelf. The trip would have to be cut short today. Duty calls.

However, that tiara is waiting for me in my purse. Now that I know the magic it holds, I'll be sure to pull it out again soon.

I wonder, what's driving you today?