I was sitting at DMV today for the third time in five days.
On Friday, I had made it as far as the door leading into DMV. That’s where my spot in line would have been, had I stayed. No thank you! Yesterday, around 9:00am, I made it in the door, even got a number, sat in a chair, and left about 65 minutes later guesstimating that they would have eventually called out my number sometime between 11:45 am and noonish today. So, this was my third and final attempt. I came armed with a full stomach, a cheesy romance novel, a brand new bottle of water and a “prior-commitment” free afternoon.
I got settled and with no need for the novel quite yet, started day dreaming.
Gary and I are both doing this right now – we “see” our boys with us everywhere. I imagine them in the car with me, running errands, going to birthday parties on the weekends, etc. Gary and I can sit in the living room in the evenings and share a look that says, “Can’t you just see them running around this place?” When Evan comes home from school with his friends, I can see them playing with Austin and Logan until it’s time for them to go out for their afternoon pick-up basketball game. I can see Austin and Logan hanging out in Mason’s room while he’s on the computer because he’s such a cool big brother to hang out with.
I open the refrigerator and I can imagine all the new and different items it will have once they’re home. I do a load of laundry and imagine their little socks mixed up in there with all of our big people clothing. With this beautiful weather, the sound of children playing outside floats through our open windows. And I can hear Austin and Logan out there playing with them.
And so today, sitting at DMV, I closed my eyes and I imagined Austin and Logan with me. My first thought was that I wouldn’t be just bored and killing time anymore. In fact, I realized, I would probably be quite exhausted, par for the course once they’re home. I wondered if I would have brought them in their stroller – if they’re up and running, they’d be pretty hard to contain. So, I imagined that it would have taken me an additional 10 minutes to get unloaded and in the door on this trip, (and costing me 20 precious spots in line!). I’d have to have some “noise-free” toys to be polite, or maybe I’d be desperate enough not to care what toy entertained them, so long as it entertained them! Being a good, boy-scout prepared mommy, I’d probably have some cereal or snacks for them, too. Or maybe because it’s late in the day and a bit on the warm side, they’d be worn out and taking a little nap. As time ticked away, maybe I’d even sing a song to them and annoy the heck out of all the other folks around us who didn’t want to be at DMV either and who sure as heck didn’t want to hear a mom sing off-key with her sons. But then again, I also imagined that we would constantly be surrounded by a steady stream of co-customers as they showered me with compliments on what adorable, incredible little boys I have!
And then, in the middle of my day dream, I hear a baby across the room cry out. Not the tiny little wail of a hungry infant. And not the loud, obnoxious screaming of an older child in the middle of a temp tantrum, but just the short, quick angry little shout of an almost 1 year old who seemed to be saying "Hey, I'm bored, what the heck are we doing sitting here in this crowded room anyway?"
And I smiled! ;-)
Soon. Soon. I thought – it won’t just be a daydream!
On Friday, I had made it as far as the door leading into DMV. That’s where my spot in line would have been, had I stayed. No thank you! Yesterday, around 9:00am, I made it in the door, even got a number, sat in a chair, and left about 65 minutes later guesstimating that they would have eventually called out my number sometime between 11:45 am and noonish today. So, this was my third and final attempt. I came armed with a full stomach, a cheesy romance novel, a brand new bottle of water and a “prior-commitment” free afternoon.
I got settled and with no need for the novel quite yet, started day dreaming.
Gary and I are both doing this right now – we “see” our boys with us everywhere. I imagine them in the car with me, running errands, going to birthday parties on the weekends, etc. Gary and I can sit in the living room in the evenings and share a look that says, “Can’t you just see them running around this place?” When Evan comes home from school with his friends, I can see them playing with Austin and Logan until it’s time for them to go out for their afternoon pick-up basketball game. I can see Austin and Logan hanging out in Mason’s room while he’s on the computer because he’s such a cool big brother to hang out with.
I open the refrigerator and I can imagine all the new and different items it will have once they’re home. I do a load of laundry and imagine their little socks mixed up in there with all of our big people clothing. With this beautiful weather, the sound of children playing outside floats through our open windows. And I can hear Austin and Logan out there playing with them.
And so today, sitting at DMV, I closed my eyes and I imagined Austin and Logan with me. My first thought was that I wouldn’t be just bored and killing time anymore. In fact, I realized, I would probably be quite exhausted, par for the course once they’re home. I wondered if I would have brought them in their stroller – if they’re up and running, they’d be pretty hard to contain. So, I imagined that it would have taken me an additional 10 minutes to get unloaded and in the door on this trip, (and costing me 20 precious spots in line!). I’d have to have some “noise-free” toys to be polite, or maybe I’d be desperate enough not to care what toy entertained them, so long as it entertained them! Being a good, boy-scout prepared mommy, I’d probably have some cereal or snacks for them, too. Or maybe because it’s late in the day and a bit on the warm side, they’d be worn out and taking a little nap. As time ticked away, maybe I’d even sing a song to them and annoy the heck out of all the other folks around us who didn’t want to be at DMV either and who sure as heck didn’t want to hear a mom sing off-key with her sons. But then again, I also imagined that we would constantly be surrounded by a steady stream of co-customers as they showered me with compliments on what adorable, incredible little boys I have!
And then, in the middle of my day dream, I hear a baby across the room cry out. Not the tiny little wail of a hungry infant. And not the loud, obnoxious screaming of an older child in the middle of a temp tantrum, but just the short, quick angry little shout of an almost 1 year old who seemed to be saying "Hey, I'm bored, what the heck are we doing sitting here in this crowded room anyway?"
And I smiled! ;-)
Soon. Soon. I thought – it won’t just be a daydream!
1 comments:
awwwww.... I can't wait till you get those precious babies home !!! :)
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