―Erma Bombeck
This morning,
I went to a different yoga class. The
instructor began by talking to us about the balance between self-examination
and the possibility of ensuing guilt, and being in the present moment and
enjoying where you are. He said that it
is important to analyze what we have done, particularly if we want to change
behavior, but we also should try to enjoy our experiences. As with most of the messages I receive during
yoga class, it was exactly what I needed to hear.
I have
mentioned before the craziness of the beginning of the school year. It seems whiny to me to complain about it,
and yet... I have been reading Happier at Home by Gretchen Rubin this
weekend. She writes: "These days, September was also the
season of the Mother Olympics; with all the health forms, supply lists, and
emergency contact sheets, I could barely keep track of everything I had to buy,
fill out, or turn in."
Yes! Rubin captures exactly how so many mothers I
know feel. There have been several memory lapses for me this week -- due, I imagine, to information and brain
overload. Just a few examples: At a back-to-school night, I (who resent food
pushers) kept insisting that two friends of mine eat ham croquettes and ham
sandwiches. Finally, the woman in the
couple very patiently said, "We don't eat meat." Having gone out to eat with them many times, I KNOW that. And I am married to
a vegetarian, so usually I remember those things. Then, a dear friend from college called and asked if I
had received a letter she sent me. No, I
said. She remarked that it was odd as
she had mailed it two weeks before. She
began telling me about her vacation, and all of a sudden, it sounded very familiar... Yep, seems I had received the letter. And yesterday, a friend visiting from out of town texted me to ask
where I was. Oops, I had agreed to meet
him for coffee. This morning, I spoke to one of my
best friends who had gone away for the long weekend. Her oops:
Seems she had forgotten that she had agreed to host a birthday party for
relatives when she headed out of town. If
that isn't brain overload, I don't know what is.
I suppose
that we could feel guilty about it, and I do feel badly that I missed coffee
with my friend. I also think that it
makes sense to take a look and see if we could have done something
differently. (It has occurred to me that
if September is Mother Olympics season, what can I possible do to train for
next year?) But in the end, what is,
is. And it makes most sense to be kind
to ourselves, to enjoy where we're at -- even if it might not be exactly where
we thought we'd be.
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