Where woud I be?

[KeagansMom08]

Every morning I wake up and begin my day as a stay at home mom.  I brush my teeth, wash my face and prepare for the races aka chasing a crawling cruising baby. I make her breakfast, remembering what food she likes warm and which she likes cold.  I distribute the Sippy cup and clean up the many spills. I pick out clothes and thread wobbly arms through holes that seem strangely smaller than they were last week...oh wait they are smaller! Time for new shirts/shorts/onesies...again! I plan activities, meals, and bottles. I schedule doctor visits and play dates and remember to replenish diapers, wipes, puffs, etc.  I tend to the boo-boos that come with first steps and exploring and fetch favorite comfort items wedged deep in the couch cushions or backseats of the car.  I breathe at nap-time and attempt to make some headway on the day's list.  I clean up dinner and the dirt of the day.  I give a bath, bottle and recite from memory the words to good night moon.  I end my day quietly knowing that tomorrow will be just the same yet completely different.

And, I wonder where I would be I were not right here ?

Sometimes I imagine myself walking the halls of an Ivey League school immersed in the works of Shakespeare and Monet. Sleeping to noon on the weekends, rising to the sun hitting my face and running out the door to meet the girls for coffee in the park, where we people watch for hours, letting the day slip by slowly sip by sip.  I move with the wind and experience the wonders of the world with my own eyes.  Sometimes I imagine my life to be different.  Not better, just different.  Sometimes I wonder if I had chosen a different path would I wake to the sounds of roosters or fall asleep to the blare of a cab horn. Would I spend my time imagining a chance to experience the life I have now?  Or, would I feel complete in the fact that I didn't know what I was missing?  

But, when I hear the soft noises of a baby waking from a long nights rest, I know I'm where I need to be. Because, in that moment only the warm arms of Mama can make the world okay.  And, in that moment I put my imagination to rest because my life isn't such a bad story either.