reflections

I spent this past weekend in Bloomington at Hearts at Home, a professional conference for Moms. I’m refreshed, energized, and full of new ideas. My boys appropriately call this conference, “Mommy School,” and worry that I’ll come home a little bit mean and change all the rules on them. (“As of today, no more Sponge Bob!” kind of rules.) I have more than a few thoughts and ideas I’ll share in the weeks to come, but the following are my reflections in the middle of it all, scribbled on bits of paper at a coffee shop:

Intoxicating. The smell of roasted coffee permeates my being, and I feel my weariness lift even before the first drink. And to think I almost missed it.

Ten minutes ago, I was wandering through the student center, eager to get to the next workshop. If I could just grab a quick cup of coffee on my way, I think, maybe I’ll be able to focus. I walk by Pizza Hut. Burger King. And then, in a sea of a thousand Moms, I see a college student. Impulsively, I ask, “Where can I get a good cup of coffee?” Without missing a beat, she responds, “Downstairs in the back corner. Go to The Cage.”

The smooth latte fills me up, and I decide to just sit. In the four years I’ve been coming to this conference, it’s my first time at The Cage. And I could have missed it so easily. I could be sitting in another workshop, drinking Burger King coffee from a styrofoam cup. How many times in my life have I settled for Burger King coffee because I was too insecure to ask for guidance? How much of life—real life—do I miss because I’m in a hurry, scurrying on to the next thing I’m supposed to do? In my fear of missing something, I miss everything.