Yesterday one of the boys had a field trip here. I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to do, like if I was supposed to take him to school, or if I should be hosting the group or volunteering to help. Turns out they had everything figured out, with moms driving and attending along with even some grandpas and dads. I dropped him off at school with the other boys, and then came back home to work on a paper, skipping the pool feeling like I needed to be here if somebody needed something. At 11:00 I picked him up from main camp and drove to church. Dad picks up the boys on his way home from teaching religion at Lutheran High in the mornings. He wasn’t going to be home in time with the other boys for the timing to work for me to leave our other son here.

So I brought him with me to the new mom’s group that was meeting. I’m not in charge of this, I just volunteered to help with it if needed and to come as I could. Two other moms wanted to start a mom outreach for the mothers of children in our church’s preschool. There weren’t any non-member church moms that came, but we did have four member moms there, three of us who had each brought a son. The boys kept busy with their “busy stations”, including mine who even though he was older, didn’t seem to mind the toys around.

The moms called the group A Cup of Conversation. They set it up so that we all sat around in a table with cups of tea or water or special diet smoothie. They had a coffee mug in the middle of the table filled with slips of paper containing questions. For the scheduled hour, we took turns pulling out a question and then going around the table to answer it. One of the questions was, “If you could only have three apps on your phone, which ones would they be?” Since I pulled this question, I also had to answer it first. My mind kind of went blank as they waited. The first app that came to mind was my WordPress app. It’s the one I use to upload pictures. I used to do this on the computer when I used to use my DSL camera.

But I didn’t want to say that, because I didn’t want to also say I had a blog. So I kept thinking and the next thing that came to mind was Goodreads. I don’t even use that app all that much right now but that’s the one that came to mind next. After confirming that texting, emails, and phone calls were automatic, I ended up saying Goodreads, Instagram, and Safari for the internet. I wasn’t at all happy with that answer, as I felt like surely I was missing something more important, something less wasteful, something that would present for the group a clearer picture of who I was.

After my turn passed I picked up my phone. I knew exactly when I saw it the one I’d forgotten. Once the next speaker was finished sharing her apps, I raised my hand and said I needed to amend my answers. Instead of Instagram, it would be my moon app. I only have my moon app because I like having one, and following the days leading up to the full and new moons. Thing is, I don’t even need the app anymore. I’ve watched the moon for long enough to know what phase of the moon we’re in.

Another woman shared that she would keep her plant identification app. She and I have walked the camp grounds together, identifying plants and gathering her flowers. I admittedly have not done much with the plant apps since the days of 2020. She really likes the medicinal plants, and we even had plans to dig up the wild elderberry on the side of the road, though we didn’t follow through in time before the township mowed. The next girl said she’d want a map app. I thought to myself, yes, that’s the one I was missing. After I’d had even more time to think about it, I requested again a chance to revise my answer, finally landing on the Internet, Apple Music, and Maps.

I met with another group of women today. The women I’d met from our IF gathering this spring had planned to get together for lunch. I’d been reading the texts, but not replying to them, figuring a Saturday was probably not a good day for meeting. I’d planned to work on my paper all day, while my daughter was at an event that didn’t end up working out for her to go to, and Josh and the boys were at a shooting retreat. The morning was surprisingly and pleasantly productive, with two whole pages appearing rather quickly.

I decided during the morning that I would try to go to lunch. After pulling over beside the mowed over elderberry to type out a prompt so I didn’t forget it, I kept on driving, my latest Apple Music choice on repeat. I was the first one there, followed shortly by the others. After talking about date nights and pre-teen daughters struggling with anxiety, one of the women pulled out her phone to read us a personality test. According to this test, everybody falls into one of four categories. Following the descriptions, you had to answer if you were reserved or outgoing, then whether you were task-oriented or people oriented.

We had a good time there as well, though after about an hour my heart started racing. I had a paper to work on, a daughter who now was home alone, and the sun on my back reminding me of the lake. After thanking and waving to the ladies at the table, I returned to the van and called the camp phone. I left my daughter a message, just in case she was on the office computer. I told her I’d be home in 20 minutes to swim. We walked down to remember an afternoon at the lake, first with us both on the paddleboard, then with me swimming, her paddling off in the distance beside me.