Mom Time

I can’t think of anything that I enjoy more than having a few minutes each day to myself. As a single Mom, my days are spent lovingly caring for dear son and anxiously awaiting my every other weekend when his dear Dad picks him up for the weekend and I get some uninterrupted sleep. My days feel longer now that dear son is growing so big and so weak; lifting 130 pounds several times a day tires me out and because he has no tone, it is mostly dead weight. Since he can no longer manage his fluids, he frequently coughs/chokes at night so I am up a lot repositioning him so he can sleep better. So this weekend was “Mom” time, where I planned to do nothing but sleep.

It was the day after Thanksgiving a few years back when I pleaded with my then dear husband for a few hours of time to finish up some work at the office. I had made a promise to myself when I started this job that I would no longer give all of my free time to my company. As I was driving in my car the sun began to shine brightly and it was clear that it was going to be a great day. At that point, ideas began to flood into my head about what I could do in a few stolen moments. After all, who would know?

Soon my car was heading towards the nearest mall. I parked in the garage and went into the famous Seattle based retailer, a favorite of mine. It was glorious to go through each department at my leisure with no sense of time. It is not often I would get a few moments to myself without having to care for dear son, a house or my job. As I was shopping the sales clerk pointed out the local news camera across the floor and told me if I was interested in being on camera that I should head over there. I responded that I had no interest in being on camera and that I really did not care for the limelight. I proceeded with my shopping making certain to stay away from the camera.

Hours passed and I was still there. It was more about having time to myself than doing a lot of shopping. Soon, it was getting quite late. I knew I would not be home in time for dinner. I left the store in the evening and headed home. On a whim, I decided to mention to dear husband that I stopped at the store for some lipstick, in case I was in crowd shot. Excitedly, husband turns on the 10 p.m. news to see if he can locate me in the crowd, if at all.

At 10 p.m. sharp the lead story comes on the news about holiday shopping. There I was, at the jewelry counter, making a purchase. They did a close up of my hands holding a piece of jewelry, a full head and body shot and then another shot of me handing over my charge card to the cashier. There was no one else in view other than myself. Not even the cashier was photographed. Not one single shopper. Anywhere.

So much for “Mom” time.