Scene from another life

We have a pretty regular routine that we follow each afternoon. I pick up Will from his babysitter’s house, come home, get changed, and take out the dog before my husband gets home. Once he gets home, we’ll have some family time before we feed Will and do his bath, bottle, and bedtime. We’ve been doing things this way for a long time, and we’re used to things being done this way every evening.
 
One afternoon a few weeks ago, Will’s babysitter took her boys to a sporting event that one of their friends was competing in. She took Will along as she always does, and since they were still there during the time I would normally pick him up she called to let me know she would just drop him off at our house.
 
DH and I both arrived home at about the normal time, and we both expected that the babysitter would be right behind us. We went about our usual routine, taking the dog out, changing out of our work clothes, and starting dinner. After a few minutes, the babysitter called to let us know she’d be another 20-30 minutes. Fine with us – no problem!
 
After another few minutes went by, DH and I stopped and looked at each other. We realized we both were wandering aimlessly around the house with the same thought – this was the first time we had been at home alone together since Will was born.
 
Now, I know where your gutter minds are headed, and you can stop those thoughts right in their tracks. That’s not where this story is headed!
 
Instead, we took a minute to comprehend the situation. It was the first time in a really long time that we didn’t have to keep track of the child’s whereabouts, make sure he wasn’t doing anything dangerous, or try to keep him from torturing the poor dog. We were sitting without being jumped on. We were getting things done without being pestered for a snack or Mickey Mouse. And while it was a nice break, it was strangely quiet. Too quiet. And very, very weird.
 
I didn’t like it.
 
Of course, everything went back to normal as soon as the babysitter arrived with Will. He immediately ran down the hall, shrieking for the sheer joy of it and yelling for the dog. He demanded dinner, scattered his toys throughout the house, and threw a tantrum when Mickey Mouse didn’t appear on the television.
 
But you know what? It was all okay with me. This is my life, and though it’s not perfect it’s perfect for me. As much as I get overwhelmed sometimes by all the things going on in my life – work, friends, housekeeping, and being a mother, wife, sister, daughter, friend – I truly love it, and I wouldn’t trade it for anyone’s.