Sweet E. Claire: Focus

My parents are in town for some Evie Time, so I'm able to catch up on some freelance, blog writing and contemplation. Last weekend was another where we didn't get to spend much time with Matt and when he took off work at 5 on Sunday to hang out with us, I was in a bitter, nasty mood. I'd wanted to hang out with him so badly and when I got the opportunity I ruined it because I was indulging myself in a pity party. For the past year I've been waiting for his busy period to let up so we could get back to normal, but I think it's time to acknowledge that it may not be a busy period and I need to learn to deal with it. Lately I've been perfecting my skills at creating lists of reasons to be overwhelmed and unhappy and it's time for a change of focus.

This morning, my first choice for Evie's preschool had open registration. I did some research and after deciding it would be perfect for Evie, I discovered it's in walking distance of our house! So this morning I arrived an hour before they opened their doors and pulled in to the parking lot next to five other cars with their occupants staying warm inside rather than waiting out in the cold. I definitely preferred that plan rather than sitting in the 30 degree weather, assuming there was some sort of unspoken code that we would try to respect who arrived first. Several more cars arrived and around 7:30, 30 minutes after my arrival, two women got out of their cars and walked to the front door. I figured the game was over, so I followed them. I was so angry when I got to the door and saw a sign up sheet! I was #9 and I knew there were only a couple more spots in the 2 year old class. When they finally started calling our names, the two women who shouldn't have been in front of me signed up for the class I wanted! Thankfully, someone had dropped out because I snagged the last spot. Whew! It must be good because one of the men in front of me was coming from the hospital where his wife had just given birth. Apparently, her first words after she started labor was, "Don't forget the preschool registration tomorrow!"

I spent most of my day working, but we took some time to take Evie to Pullen Park, one of Raleigh's gems. This place is awesome. If I lived somewhere else, say, San Diego, I might be convinced to move to Raleigh because of this park alone. It has a beautiful lake with paddle boats, several playgrounds, an authentic antique carousel, a train ride and a delicious cafe with local, seasonal food, all covered in a canopy of beautiful oaks.