stolen moment
The house is silent. I got home from work ahead of the rush to play bus driver to the three. The house is messy, scattered toddler toys, teenage hoodies and flip flops (they don't wear shoes any more). Football gear, breakfast mess, newspaper scatters, morning rush randomly placed coffee cup, dog hair dust balls skitter like the ghosts of mice as I walk through the tile halls. I should clean up. I should take care of that paperwork. I should write that memo to my boss. I should.... but the house is silent. Just me, the hum of the computer and the cadence of my rythmless keys.
So, I steal a moment while the moment lasts. The clock leaking away what there is of it as the time draws near-- to the daycare, the middle school, the high school-- brother and sister fighting over the front seat, baby screeching-- to the post office with the promise of a check that most go immediately to the bank-- groans of disappointment, "we have to go to the bank? Can't we just go home first?" -- then making our way back home to get bombarded with snack requests and a clinging toddler with a cold. Then put together dinner, then football practice and chasing Skye at the nearby park and then home and then time to put the baby to bed and help Rob with homework.... but right now. Right now the house is silent. Drink it in. Leave the dishes...drink it in. let go of all the shoulds...drink it in. For soon you will take a deep breath and plunge back into the whirling world.
posted by Just Tom @ 2:09 PM
12 Comments
12 Comments:
Tom, you string your words together beautifully. I could see the house. I could hear the silence. I could feel you soaking in peace. Very well done.
They don't wear shoes?!? I guess you can get away with this in the Winterless West. Here in Maine, you might wear a flipflop in January. Until your feet thaw enough for the thing to fall off. Not, one hopes, in the emergency room. Jay Ward might have placed Frostbite Falls in Minnesota, but Maine would have done just as well.
Teenagers and a toddler. What a mix! But somehow I envy you. Take your peace while you can get it ...
Great post. Yes, Tom, you are a wise man....you steal it where you can get it. Especially in YOUR house. LOL Have a great day.
QD, thanks for the compliment. It means a lot coming from you. right back at you.
O Kelly (sorry, the spelling is challenging, do you mind?) yeah we live in a temperate rain forest where it is mostly 50ish and drizzling during the winter months. The teenyboppers wear shorts and flip flops most of the time. We usually get a couple of cold snaps in late December/early January where it stays below freezing for a few days and every third year or so we get a decent snow storm.
The peaceful moments are very few and very far between. But I'll take what I can get.
Tom, that anecdote that you wanted is up, and this one was a hit in the teacher's lounge.
Congrats -- you're a finalist at Sar's place. You'd better make it your mission to win .... [Can't wait until you see the cometition.]
For a moment I was right there with you, your words painted a picture that I could see right into, but then the phone rings and reality sets in again, still it was nice while it lasted.
Tom -
at least you got it right. I've seen so many variations on O'Kelly that I decided, in blogspace, to spell it the way they do on the Emerald Isle (pre English invasion), and give people a proper excuse :).
but in truth, you can call me anything but "late for dinner". one look at my torso and you can see I don't get called that often. :(
Tom, your wife is one nervy chick!
Ditto, what Quilly said!
Cindra Jo, 12
Just Tom, 3
What are you doing here reading these comments? Go vote for Tom at Belle of the Brawl.
Very poetic. :)
--GG
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