This morning, I gathered all the things I need for the day, rushed my kids out the door, and headed to the car for school drop-offs. As I unloaded my things one by one into the passenger seat, I discovered a little surprise: a tiny pretend cereal box from my daughter’s play kitchen.
What the hell am I doing with this?
I stared at it for a few moments before I tossed it into the console. But as I made my way toward car line, my brain wouldn’t let go of that tiny cereal box. Why did I have it? More importantly, what did I mean to pick up instead?
What very necessary thing was still sitting on my counter?
As I begin my work day here at Starbucks, feeling relatively productive, I feel unsettled. I just keep waiting for the moment I reach into my bag to grab that thing I left behind and find it missing.
The toy cereal box is AirPod sized, which would make sense if I had AirPods? But I don’t. So, I’m genuinely lost.
This stuff happens to me almost daily. It’s called #mombrain. It’s pretty typical in moms of newborns and toddlers, but my kids are 5 and 7! Shouldn’t I be past this by now? I’m sick of finding my coffee in the refrigerator, my keys in the microwave. I’m tired of typing out entire text messages to my friends and forgetting to hit send; I’m over literally forgetting how old I am.
Maybe it’ll go away when they leave for college or whatever adventure comes for them after high school. I’ll do my best to enjoy those blissful years between the end of #mombrain and the beginning of what did I walk into this room for?
