“I haven’t had time to try it.” I answered when my husband asked how I liked my new combo electric floor vac/mop. At least he didn’t ask the highly illegal husband question (or any form thereof) “What have you been doing with all your time?”
He didn’t need to. I’ve been asking myself that a lot lately. Maybe my Productive Day Guilt has reared its ugly head — I feel like I never have enough time to whittle down my Perpetual To Do list. I called a fellow Bus Stop Mommy to whine. “Well, what have you had the time for?” (It’s legal for Mommies to ask this or any form thereof.)
“Laundry. I did five loads of laundry today.”
“And has any member of your family ever opened their underwear drawer to find it empty?”
“Only when they don’t pick up their pile of clean clothes off the dining room table.”
“Right, and how often this week did you stay up past midnight then get up 45 minutes early to wash and dry your daughter’s absolutely-greatest-pair-in-the-whole-wide-world, will-die-if-I-don’t-wear-them-to-school-tomorrow pair of jeans?”
“Twice — the rest of the week she bolted out the door before I could confiscate them.”
“Okay, what else?”
“What else what?”
“Hello? Time? You? Do? All day?”
“Sorry, I have the memory of a stick. Speaking of sticks, Mel and I gathered sticks out in the yard for kindling while Morgan split wood. Scott was out of town all week so we ate dinner around the fireplace each night and talked about school and stuff. I knitted while we watched reruns of Sanford and Son.”
“What are you making now?”
“Morgan asked me to knit him a green scarf. I dragged him shopping to pick out just the right green yarn. I hope to have it done before the spring thaw. I just need to find some more time to work on it. I almost feel guilty for sitting and knitting with the TV on when I could be doing something more productive around the house.”
“Let me get this straight,” my friend continued, “You have two children whom you’ve kept alive all these years; who not only help you around the house but spend an entire evening sitting around the fireplace talking to you. They’ve never run out of clean underwear or been sent home from school due to overtly-stinky jeans. Your teenage son actually asked you to make him something he plans to wear out in public… and your husband came home after a week away to find his house, family, car, and dogs all in one piece.
“Karen, I’d say it doesn’t matter if you remember what you’ve done all day or if you’ve had enough time to mop. You’ve had time enough for the things that really matter. Now hang up and start knitting.”
(Karen Rinehart is a syndicated newspaper columnist, public speaker, and creator of The Bus Stop Mommies™. Her book, Invisible Underwear, Bus Stop Mommies and Other Things True To Life, is a popular read in book clubs, school pick up lines, and soccer fields. She enjoys hearing from readers across the States and as far away as Australia, Japan, and England. You can read more at BusStopMommies.com. Karen lives in North Carolina with her two kids, two dogs, and one husband, where they attend St. James Catholic Church. [Well, they leave the dogs at home.])
