Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Reaching out to another person, even if it means being late...

Living in NYC means you can find a kindred spirit anywhere.  For me, this means running barefoot through Central Park with other barefoot runners ...at 6:30am...on a Tuesday.  Yes, such a group does exist in this fine city.

I'm an early riser, just as my kids are. My husband...well, let's say he'd rather never rouse.  So, I'm stuck with this daily dilemma -- should I get up early & exercise, or should I let my husband sleep?  Did I mention my kids are 3 yrs old & 10 months?  Yeah, so from the moment they wake up until they go to sleep, they require at least 80% of my attention (they really get close to all of it all the time, but phone texting is an awesome way to have a conversation in sporadic 7 second increments. Once they sense I've been a less than captive audience for 10 seconds the dynamic duo quickly conspires to get my full undivided attention once again).

This morning I woke my husband up to let him know he had the conn so I could go out on previous mentioned adventure.  If I'm not meeting anyone, my husband usually gets to sleep --- this superhero has a tendency to want to make her husband happy.

My 3 year old decided it was too much to separate from me -- so I just walked out -- like all moms have to do from time to time.  As my elevator arrived --the tears stopped and I heard her say -- "Can I give mommy a hug & a kiss goodbye?"  My heart melted and I went back inside to get my hug and kiss -- she said she couldn't wait to see me again.  I promised waffles and syrup when I returned. 

Needless to say, this extra good bye time meant I got to our meeting spot late and my group had already left (we have a strict 10 min policy).  I was a tad disappointed, but I as I began running around the reservoir and enjoyed the early morning shade, my disappointment melted away.  I was a superhero to my daughter.

I left with a warm, teary hug and kiss and was going back home to one real soon, hopefully less teary this time.   

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

I love this post, Jeanne Marie! Since becoming a mother, I have learned to shorten my "to-do" lists... dramatically. If we all show up on time for a doctor's appointment (or any appointment) it is a victory!

Best,
Gina

Barefoot Superhero said...

Amen sis-tah! You said it!