I’m a “make the best of it” type of person. In only the most dire circumstances do I allow myself to wallow. When I hit a rough patch I take a deep breath or two or three breaths and make the best of it. Perhaps it’s because I am English and grew up dealing with weather that was most definitely grim and gloomy. My childhood was split between the U.K., U.S, and Italy…I had to get used to constant moves and upheaval as my parents moved us from country to country. I’m quite adept at finding my feet even when the outlook seems questionable.
Two weeks ago I could barely see straight. No, I didn’t need new glasses. No, I didn’t have a migraine. But I was in the maelstrom of the end of the school year. Moms with two or more kids in school, can you remember back to when you had only one child in school and the end of the school year would roll in and you waltzed through the end of the year activities with that one child barely breaking a sweat? Well, moms with two or more kids in school know that the end of the school year is a nightmare, a minefield.
By early June I was in major panic mode. How would I get through all the performances, sports events, showcases, and every else under the sun? But being me I plowed on. Attending each event. Helping a child put the finishing touches on a project. Hauling the cello to one last concert. Washing (but not ironing…I’m not a super hero…or a laundry crusader…I just get it done) the concert shirt and pants. Charging AND bringing the video camera to the school showcase.
I knew that what I had to look forward to was a summer of no school, no homework except summer workbooks, minimal driving, and lots of relaxing time doing nothing. So I systematically crossed off each and every event on the family calendar every time knowing I was one step closer to the end of the year. I soldiered on…making the best of it, which is a quality I hope I have passed on to my children.
