Matt is in Italy. Erin is (for the time being) here in New York visiting, and my baby just went down for her morning nap.
I got to talk a lot this weekend and somewhere in the shadow of midnight Erin and I got to talking about the choice to stay at home with children or return to work. It’s a question I’m now asked pretty often. You’d be surprised how many people and other moms will ask “what do you do?” and that one little question can make you scatter to find an appropriate answer- in truth nothing sounds as impressive as you would like for it to.
Erin is a teacher. I find that very impressive. I wish that everyone else found that as impressive as it truly is. She’s smart and beautiful and fun. She’s caring, kind, and giving, owns her own condo and moved across the country twice; she’s impressive. My friend Nora is a stay at home mom of two beautiful boys, she’s funny, nurturing, and calm- her oldest son does baby sign language and is now talking, running, and spinning in circles. Her infant is a snuggle-bear who loves to be held and loved. She’s juggling two kids under one and trust me when I tell you she’s impressive, so impressive. My friend Susan is a vice principle of an inner city school in Indiana. She’s pregnant with her first child and taking care of hundreds of other peoples children every single day; very impressive. My friend Andrea is a marketing exec at a very big company. She once rode in a private plane, was bridesmaid in a wedding in New York the same weekend she flew to Vegas to run a very important trade show. She’s beautiful, a great friend, married, and pregnant with her first- she’s uber impressive, I’m impressed by her. My friend Dana is an actress and singer who lives in New Orleans, has her MFA, and gives the greatest hugs in the entire world, I find her live fascinating; she’s impressive. My friend Jesse is a single mother and attorney for a major law firm in New York City. She can sleigh a dragon, fix boo-boos, work 80 hours a week, and still spends her weekends at Sesame Place with her 2 year old. She’s creating a magical life for her magical daughter all by herself and she’s succeeding in spite of all the odds- tell me that’s not impressive; she’s so damn impressive. My friend Tricia is a grade school teacher who lives in a home she owns and pays the mortgage on month after month all by herself. She knows every single one of her neighbors, raises three shelter dogs, and mended a broken heart after a brutal divorce. I don’t know anyone more impressive the Tricia, she’s so impressive.
My point, lovely readers, is that regardless of our decisions as women what makes each of us impressive is who we are outside of what we do. The women in my life are good people, who if you need them will drop everything to be by your side. They visit new born babies, they answer the phone regardless of the hour, they sing happy birthday LOUD on your answering machine, and wake up in the middle of the night to care for their babies. So maybe they aren’t millionaires….yet. I couldn’t be more impressed with my friends; they’re so damn impressive.
This weekend I was fully impressed with Erin’s ability to roll with our punches. Nap times, diaper wedgies, melt downs and all she hung in there with us. I’m blessed because Erin has been my best friend since we were 6. We have been best friends for 24 years, do you know something more impressive then that? No. You don’t. We’re so damn impressive.
(Forgive the old photos- I didn’t have my camera at all this weekend….NOT impressive!!!)
