My morning is busy. I have three kids to get to school. I am racing around my kitchen with lunches, water bottles and plates with a healthy breakfast to feed my boys.
My house is a mess. I am behind on returning e-mails and phone calls. I forgot about the school fundraiser and a teacher’s birthday. To add insult to injury, there are no clean white socks.
In less than two minutes, I change from my pajamas into yoga pants, a tank, and flip flops and pray that I don’t get pulled over or run into anyone that knows me. I sweep my hair back into a tight ponytail as I scream to the kids to get into the car. We are officially late.
As I leave the house, I feel defeated. It is 7:30 am.
I drop off all the kids with a smile but once I am alone, I fight off the urge to cry. My head is spinning as I flip through my daily planner and “to do” list. I am completely overwhelmed.
Feeling like I am nearly on the edge of a breakdown, I know that I need a friendly reality check. I need someone to remind me that things will be fine and everything will get done. I begin to dial my husband’s work number until I stop with my pointer finger just above the final button.
My head is replaying the last time that I called him on a day like today. The silence on his end of the phone as my exasperated voice rambled on and on about the frustrations of potty training, multiple glasses of spilled juice, and the inability to get the kids to school on time. His quick response of “I’m sorry that you are having a rough day but I have two back-to-back meetings starting in ten minutes. I’ll try not to be too late tonight.”
One quick declaration of love and then he was gone. I was left with the silence and a hollow feeling in my heart.
I can’t blame him. He has a stressful job and it is important to our family that he does it well. This is what goes through my head as my finger freezes before finishing his number and hitting send. I quickly hit the end button with my thumb and follow it with speed dial number one.
I bite my lip as the phone rings and I glance at the clock trying to remember the time difference. I instantly breathe a sigh of relief when I hear the familiar voice of my best friend.
My friend knows just what to say and before I know it, I am re-energized to conquer the daily tasks. She even has me laughing as I describe the morning that once had me in tears. What would I ever do without my best friend? Even from across the country, I can feel her support.
That is what friends do. They listen. They advise. They help. Never underestimate the value of a friendship. It is one of the most important things in life.
Edited by Jody Smith