Irony

Wednesday night I had a lull while nursing Miss M, which I decided to use by writing up a task list for Thursday. This morning, while trying to scurry around, picking up the living room before the kids woke up, I found the notebook sitting on the table beside my rocking chair. It said:

Thursday 3/06/08
To Do:













That's all I had time to write down between diaper changes, feedings, and all the other stuff of life. I think I'm going to post that "list" on my fridge as a touchstone to reality. It makes me laugh every time I see it.

The day after Miss M was born, I was telling my Dad all about the action-packed super-fast birth and how I'd assumed I'd have at least 8-12 hours of labor... My Dad's response was, "I guess that's what happens when we assume we know what nature is going to do."

I'm a planner. A list-maker. A schedule-follower. These things make me feel competent and in control. As with the awesome strength and unpredictability of nature, it's probably good to be reminded (occassionally) about the nebulous character of time. So I didn't get any "chores" done. Between the shared efforts of my husband and father the important tasks have been taken care of so I can take the time to focus on the baby and find a few extra minutes for the other children. I think I've written my last "To Do" list - for a little while, anyway.