You know those days when you don’t get enough sleep and it’s Tuesday or Wednesday or some other day not a weekend and you wake up late and you have to rush the kids through breakfast and getting dressed and they seem just a little grumpier than usual and you really don’t want them to buy lunch that day in the cafeteria because who the hell knows what a “chicken pretzel” is but there just isn’t time to pack anything and the orange juice has spilled.

And then you drive them to school and rush them to class and one of them forgot their homework folder so you drive home and drive back again and drive home again and then you work all day and do laundry and fold and put away and go to the bank and buy groceries and suddenly it’s time to pick the kids up from school.

So you drive to school and drive home and then you’re doing math homework and you thought you would never have to do math homework ever again but there you are doing math homework and then you’re taking one to dance class and one to martial arts and picking them up again and making dinner and washing dishes and wiping tables and sweeping the floor and finally, finally you send the kids upstairs to play or watch television or anything really as long as it is far away.

And you put the kettle on. And for three minutes everything is done. And everything is still. And the only sound is the purr of boiling water about to become after-dinner coffee.

And you find that spot in the corner, that spot by the cupboard where you hang the aprons, where the stool is, and you collapse on the stool, and wait for the water to boil. And breathe in and out. And it’s the most wonderful place in the world, that spot. For three minutes.

And just as the coffee is poured into your mug and the sweet satisfying aroma fills your nostrils… crying and arguing and no one wants to take the first shower and he pushed me and no one can find the toothpaste and where’s the toothpaste and what happened to the god damned toothpaste?

Not every day is like that, thank goodness. But weirdly, it’s worth it.

Comments

1. christine on 2008-12-11 02:03:47 wrote: i think you just made me cry…. !

2. Matt on 2008-12-11 08:57:37 wrote: I know exactly what you mean. I’ve got three.

3. Cynthia on 2008-12-11 11:20:00 wrote: I don’t often comment, in fact I don’t think I have ever commented, but have been compelled to do so today. This post is very well written. I can almost feel myself relaxing once you mentioned the “purr” of boiling water. I only have 1 kid but I have my nieces and nephew over quite often, so the fight for who has to take a shower first sounds very familiar. Thanks for the laugh

4. Laura on 2008-12-12 11:48:19 wrote: You just described my Tuesday. Except I had tea. Thanks. :~)

5. Brett on 2008-12-13 21:50:55 wrote: Holy you-know-what….. I was thinking for a second that you had a camera in my house and were remotely monitoring me from far-far away. I have 11 and 9 year old daughters and an 8 month son. You just described a typical day for my wife and partially me. Another epic blog post by FD.

6. Robert on 2008-12-17 19:30:51 wrote: Who are you and what were you doing in my house??

7. Marites on 2009-01-07 23:53:04 wrote: Nicely written! Just love these posts about everyday family moments captured so magically. I wish I can write like this.