One Damn Thing

The summer solstice is tomorrow morning at 7:28 AM, and all I can think is “Holy frack, where has the year gone?” This month in particular has been zooming by, and I feel I have to cram as much stuff as possible into these lengthened days. Not sure if it’s some crazy nesting instinct that’s pushing me, or just the sense that come mid-August our family life will be changing again drastically. Changing for the better, absolutely, but changing nonetheless. As if prepping for a new baby weren’t enough of a change, this month we’ve also:

• Celebrated our 9th wedding anniversary by attending kindergarten orientation.
• Sent Tommy off to Kennywood for the first time with just his friends (and their parents).
• Said goodbyes to two sets of friends (one just to a new neighborhood, no longer in walking distance, the others to a completely new city).
• Watched Tommy accept his preschool graduation certificate.
• Held our breath as Tommy practice holding his during his first swimming lesson.

And of course we’ve done it all while we’ve both been pushed to the limit in our jobs, and while Rick is still pushing his new business to launch, and while I’ve been pushing to get Tommy set up with summer camp, pushing for a more flexible schedule with my employer, pushing to get all my doctor appointments scheduled conveniently, pushing my kid to try a nectarine, take a bath, brush his teeth. Pushing myself to free up an hour or so so I can push out a damn post.

That’s a lot of pushing. And I’m not even in labor yet.

It is hard not to feel overwhelmed by the pace and the amount of change, especially for me, who takes great comfort in routine. But I guess I have to accept that our routine right now is change and I should take comfort in allowing the change to just happen. These are not bad things that are happening. Just a lot of things. All at once.