Monday, January 18, 2010

The Wisdom of the Ottoman

When I was cleaning up the house one evening back in the fall, I noticed that the things that were scattered on the ottoman in the family room constituted a random but very accurate microcosm of what my life is about right now:


They are all things for John (my 4-year-old) and Sam (my 4-month-old): John's preschool books and craft project, part of an Aquadoodle pen, and his current favorite movie. Sam's bottle, diaper, bib, socks, and little baby slippers. This is evidence of how my life right now revolves around taking care of these two boys. I haven't lost myself in this process; it's simply that they are my full-time job. My husband gets up and goes to his office in the city in the morning; my office is my home, nurturing, feeding, and caring for these two future citizens of the world.

If I didn't have kids, the things on the ottoman would be completely different, representing the life that I used to have when I wasn't responsible for anyone but myself and could do whatever I wanted whenever I wanted to do it. Sometimes I really miss that freedom and that way of life. But I love where I'm at right now and the phase of life that I'm in. This is the time and the season for me to be a mother of young children. I wouldn't change the objects on the ottoman for anything.