Today was a long and busier day. The beginning of the school year in its ways are always pretty hectic. We continue to find our grooves with the juggling of rides for the kids. By the time it was time to pick up my high schooler, my brain had fused this morning’s instructions with yesterday’s plans. I was positive I had told him he would have to take the bus, but I was also certain my daughter had told me they were practicing at the park.

So that’s where I went. By the time I missed one road and then the road to the park and then found a way into the park and got lost I was feeling rage at life’s absurdity and overwhelmed inside. I called Josh who was on the way home from St. Louis and asked if he could tell me where I was in the park. When we made it to the spot where she’d said to go there wasn’t anyone there. He asked if I’d checked out the sports app and of course I had not. When I had a place to pull over I saw that practice today was at the school.

I drove over to the church and pulled in from two different ways before we found him. After the extended venture through the park I was glad I had not left the little boys home. He was sitting in the grass with his backpack. When he climbed into the van he smiled and said, “Ok, what’s your side?” and I gave him the whole long complicated story. “What’s yours?”, I asked, and he said everything he’d thought and made a clock to pass the time.