The Simple Life

I frequently have daydreams about living in Africa and having to walk miles every day to get water from a river and carry it back on  my head in a basket that I have made myself.  This is a soothing daydream for me.  I think about it in the same way that I might envision myself of an extended camping trip where after days in the woods I have achieved peace and serenity.  Mind you, in my particular brand of daydream I am not hot, I am not starving, and I have access to excellent health care and nutrition.  That is to say, I am not really daydreaming about what it might be like to actually live in the rural part of a developing nation, but rather am piecing together images of what I think of as a drastically simpler life.  I'm not complaining. I love pieces of my life right now immensely.  I love having vicariously entered the world of Kindergarten again and watching Willa make new friends and learning to read (unbelievable process!).  I love having an exercise routine that I stick to every week.  It feels so good to have time carved out for myself, to go and work hard, and feel so much calmer when I'm all done sweating.  I love getting outside every day to walk the dog and to notice the little changes happening everywhere.  (This morning there are little wispy snow flakes - early arrivals from the storm heading in later tonight).  And yet somehow I still feel crazed half the time just trying to do what's in front of me instead of intentionally making my way through my day.  Despite my following those snappy top-ten advice columns on how to simplify (Cancel your magazine subscriptions! Block junk mail! Get rid of stuff you don't need! Do things you "want"to do not "should" do!) my life does not feel simple. I'm sure it could, but it doesn't yet. 
On that note, here is a day in the life (in this case, yesterday):

5:15                 Alarm goes off.  I wake up. 

5:15:0001        Cal wakes up across the hall. How does he know? 

5:16                 Snuggle.

5:20                 Snuggle time over. Brush teeth, get dressed, make coffee. Willa tries to sleep through Cal's "whispering," which sounds eerily similar to yelling.

5:45                 Babysitting crew arrives. Leave for Spin/Yoga.

7:15                 Quick luxurious shower at the Rec Center.  I don’t keep an ear out for all heck to break loose on the other side of the shower curtain as I wash my hair. Not one person asks me to wear a giraffe hand puppet as I get dressed. 

7:40                 Pull into garage.  Willa opens the door and yells, “Let’s go to school now!”  Load the kids in the stroller and walk to Kindergarten drop-off.  Willa is looking fabulous wearing her *new* corduroy twirly skirt and tights.  Cal walks Gibson until he starts pulling to hard.  We roll up to the door just as the bell rings.  

8:05                 Walk up “big hill.”  Jump off rock, and run down other side of “big hill.”  Collect Gibson from his waiting spot.  Cal pretends the sky is a big ocean.  

8:21                 Load in the car to drop Cal off at friend’s house/daycare.  Grab my lunch from the fridge and a Tupperware for the canine urine sample I’m supposed to collect.

8:35                 Drive to work with dog in tow.  Listen to Book on CD, do belly exercises on the way.

8:55                 Attempt to collect Gibson’s urine sample without getting splashed in the face.  

8:56                 Dig wipes and hand sanitizer from the car.  Drop-off what I hope is a big enough sample in the car for later.  Go to meetings.   

10:30               Meetings end.  Swing by Vet’s office.  Secretary grimaces at my measly urine offering.  Head outside to attempt to add to the cup.  Startle dog by lurching at him every time he looks like he’s about to go.  

10:40               Return to secretary with what looks like the exact same amount although I promise her it’s not.  She disappears through the back door with the cup and returns saying they will try to work with it.  

11:00               Stop by ATM to get money to repay co-worker who bought baby shower gift for pregnant co-worker.

11:05               Back at work.  Quick visit to the baby shower.  Write dubious parenting advice on a 4 x 6 pastel card.  Choose an “It’s a Boy!” sticker for the poll.  Head downstairs for actual work.  

12:00               Decide to work from home as am too distracted at office.  

12:05               Stop by library directly next store the office before getting in the car.  Politely decline to talk to the Planned Parenthood lobbyist on my way in.  Grab 7 new kids books.  

12:15               Head home.  Continue with Book on CD, belly exercises.  

12:35               Arrive home.  Pull items from freezer to thaw for dinner.  Put rice on stove.  Really start to work.

4:30                 Quick work break to run to liquor store and grocery in anticipation of gluten free, dairy free, tomato-free, low-fructose, partly-vegetarian dinner guests.

4:45                 Alternate between working and cooking dinner.  

5:20                 Sister arrives.  Work officially over.  Chat.  

5:30                 Kids arrive home with friend/daycare provider and her kids.  Kids are starving.  Hope I don’t unwittingly make dinner guests ill.  Kids eat two rounds of dinner.  

5:45                 Wine glass in hand. Kids running all over. Sister trying to motivate to head back to her work but is feely crappy. 

6:00                 Lovely chat with friend.  Sing Happy Birthday and blow out candles.  (There is no actual birthday – this activity is purely for the candle-oriented).  Fend off requests to “come upstairs right now!”    

7:17                 Feels like 10 p.m. Friends leave after a lovely evening of playing and talking.  

7:20                 Kids ask for a snack.  Provide snack.  Do dishes. 

7:45                 Put jammies on, brush teeth.  Dig out 2 flashlights.  Load in the stroller to walk the dog.  

8:05                 Back at home.  Kids manage to find another snack.  Secure promises that they will brush teeth again by themselves if they eat the Cheerios and raisins they have found.  

8:10                 Brush teeth.

8:15                 Read books - 2 of which I hope are “cross-over” books that will entertain both of them. Then the Princess and the Popstar for Willa.  Cal only looks up from his reclined position on my lap one time to see the Popstar’s guitar. 

8:50                 Receive video text of little friend in new homemade Hedgehog costume.  Watch video 3 times.  

8:52                 Into bed.  Willa is out in less than a minute.  Cal is out in 10.    

8:53                 Get ready for bed.  Take my “Words with Friends” turn.  Get out my book and reading light.  Never actually open said book or turn on said light.  Lay quietly.  Send text to check in on my sister and text to friend who is leaving on a week-long trip. Lay quietly.  

10:20               Fall asleep.