The Opposition

I suppose every moment of peace eventually gets followed by a wallop of chaos, and that was today.  It was like I was trying to button up a shirt all day and every time I thought I got it right, I looked down to see I was a button off.  The first time or two it's kind of amusing and cute, like, "Hey guys, look what I did! Hardee-har-har," but by the end of the day, when the buttons haven't aligned after thirty-two tries, a gal finds herself red-facedly sputtering the closest thing she can find to a swear word.

And I totally planned out today like I was supposed to.  I organized in my notebook last night and scheduled in lots of extra time for the unexpected.  But the unexpected won today - it made the baby have a restless night, it had me leave my newly purchased Halloween stuff in the cart in the parking lot at the store  (dag-nab-it!) while I drove home with the kids, it made a lunch with guests at 11 instead of 12:30, it made both boys have stinky diapers one after the other five minutes after we were supposed to pick their sister up from school, it made me forget #2 had gymnastics until I'd sent half my kids on bikes the wrong way, it made dinner prep take hours instead of half of one (this is Unexpected's absolute #1 favorite trick on me - well, in all honesty, we might be in cahoots), it made #5 wander over inside the neighbor's house because he really likes their trains causing the need for friendly apologies and chit-chat at the same time that #2 needed to be picked up from gymnastics which took me up to the teeth of being a negligent mother, and there were unexpected lectures galore from mother to children that may have been less necessary then they seemed to be at the moment of each altercation - but who can think clearly with a stubbornly misbuttoned shirt.

So all of this is to say, there must needs be opposition in all things.  And maybe last night's bike ride wouldn't have been as sweet without the sour of today.  So, thank you Unexpected.  I see what you're up to and I suppose the best thing I can do is tip my hat.