August 28, 2008

pause

Another typical day filled with familial duties, mothering, and a full day of work.

I had just finished adding to Miles' lunch for the next day in one of our quiet rooms at work. Instead of packing up and rushing back to my desk like I usually do I found myself just sitting there. In a lime green mod version of an easy chair. Fixed. Unhurried.

My eyes were heavy with sleep, my mind was edging out thoughts as it settled into a much needed silence. No talking, no thinking, no planning, no multi-tasking. No moving, no working, no blogging. No caretaking, no cleaning, no strategizing. No what next? Just. a. moment. of. silence.
Five minutes passed. I began to move again, to think again. I could feel the moment of now, the disconnectedness from past and future simply fading, f a d i n g a w a y. And I was once again an orbiting planet, thinking of only the path ahead of me.
I realized at that moment how busy my life, our lives, really are. I can't remember the last time that my body and mind were at rest. Like most mothers, I am in constant motion, mentally or physically, always doing work, always thinking of what needs to be done. And this five minute hiatus from all that is wonderful, horrible, busy, challenging, delightful, and unexpected in our lives was truly a moment of release for me.
Five lovely minutes of stillness.

3 comments:

Marissa said...

When are you going to write a book? I'll be first in line to buy it.

meghant said...

You are such a talented writer - you hit a great point here. Thanks for sharing.

gwen said...

Sweetheart, you have captured the essence of "time" in the life of a busy mother. We all need to take those 5 minutes more often.

Mom

About Me

Stubborn, opinionated, academic girl meets athletic, charming, Puerto Rican boy while studying abroad in Santiago de Chile. Falling in love in a foreign country ensues. Travel, study, marry, settle, make a baby. Enter Miles Gabriel. Life with a toddler keeps us busy. We decide to add more chaos to the mix. Another baby is born. Enter Lydia Wynne. Lucky acorns. I have two and I keep them close to my heart. How about you?

FELIX

FELIX
Our other "baby" of the canine variety