The summer before my oldest child began Kindergarten, I was fortunate enough to be taken in by an amazing group of women who already had children at the school we would be attending. Admittedly, I was nervous when my friend invited me to an event they had planned … “bad mom’s day.” It was a themed brunch to celebrate Mother’s Day. I LOVE any opportunity to get in costume, so I accepted the invitation without hesitation. But, I still had my concerns. “What if I overdo it on my costume?” I asked my friend. “I can be a bit extra sometimes.” I reminded her. “You won’t be extra with this group. They are great! No one is judgemental, and we are all just there to have fun!” And she was right. I spent an entire afternoon and early evening with a multitude of women I had never met, and to this day, it is still one of my favorite memories.
Since then, we have had many other themed brunches and events. It’s always a really good time, and there is no pressure to go. If you can make it, great! If not, no one is mad at you. That’s one of my favorite things about this group of women. They have women from all different walks of life, children of all different ages, different career paths, and interests, but newcomers are always welcome. And meanness is never tolerated. We have a text thread that has been my saving grace for school-related info, amongst other things. Pretty much any question you have … someone in the group can answer it. It really is a great group of women.
It’s the only group of women I know where you can admit “Ya’ll we were running late this morning, and carpool line was crazy so I parked and walked the kids to the gate but I had pajamas and no bra on.” And you’ll get responses like “I saw you, haha!” or “I’ve been there, hope your day gets better.” or “At least your pajamas were cute!”
Cleary It’s Not You, It’s Me
But I’m in a strange season of life right now. My kids are old enough that they don’t need me the way an infant or toddler does, but they are also old enough to be involved in extracurriculars … extracurriculars I want to be there to support. I also recently opened my own Physical Therapy Practice, and that has (admittedly) been a huge learning curve. So between my kids and my practice, I don’t seem to have much time or energy to be social. Which means no themed brunches. I just haven’t seemed to master the art of juggling ALL the things and still having the energy to put on makeup and a bra and stay up past 10pm.
I recently had to go to a military ball for my husband, and we stayed up until the wee hours of 11 pm. I felt like a bus hit me the next morning. I guess this is how getting old feels. But I digress. The point is … I’m boring right now. I haven’t gone to any of the events the group has had, and I’m not even sure I know which ones are coming up. Heck, half the time I’m not even sure what day of the week it is.
Don’t give up on me
But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to go. One day (hopefully before I’m all shriveled and wrinkled like Magda from “There’s something about Mary”), I’ll have the energy again. One day, I will proudly pull my costume bag out of the abyss of my closet to find the perfect ensemble for brunch. And one day, I will get my spunk back.
Until then, please don’t stop inviting me. And know that I’m there in spirit. I LOVE seeing everyone’s pictures, and I know that when I finally do come back … it’ll be like I never left. Someone will loan me face glitter and lipstick without hesitation, it’s highly likely I’ll end up with someone’s wig, boa, or both, my husband will be giving a carful of moms a ride home as we sing along to Whitney Houston blaring on the radio, and it will be glorious.
