Inseparable

I recently caught up with an old friend of mine whose kids are around the same age as Aaron and Jada.  We used to watch sports and talk sports all the time, so it wasn't out of character for him to blurt out in the middle of our brief conversation, "yo, did you see the game yesterday?"  Alas, not only had I not seen the game, I didn't even know what game he was referring to, although once he told me the sport and situation, it was obvious that "the game" needed no additional explanation as to which one he was referring to.

It is a function of a demanding job plus teaching at Penn plus serving on the local school board that has vaporized my free time and is eating into my getting enough sleep.  But surely, my friend protested when I stunned him by saying I was unaware of a game yesterday, an avid sports fan as I was and still am, could make time to at least check in on the score.  After all, we are in a similar life situation, in terms of juggling work and parenthood.




Ah, but the wild card is our Asher.  Three is always a demanding age, and Asher is particularly high-maintenance for a number of reasons.  My friend and I may have equal work burdens, and we both have two adolescents we have to fret over and stay on top of.  But Asher tips the scales for me.

It's also why I smirk when people I see on a Friday wish me a relaxing weekend.  Fat chance.  Asher and I are darn near inseparable on the weekend, literally from sun up to sun down.  Whether meal time, soccer class, reading books, Please Touch Museum, playground, or tagging along when I'm doing groceries or picking up one of his siblings, Saturdays and Sundays are all Asher, all the time.  The only separation is when someone at the Y or church is watching him while I exercise or worship, and when I go off to Penn for 3+ hours to teach my class.

Mercifully, he sleeps.  I'm usually up a couple of hours before he is, and stay up a couple of hours after he goes down, so that's when I pay bills and run errands.  Plus he takes a nap that is a good two hours on good days, so that's a good time for more substantial chores around the house that can't be done too early or late in the day.

The time is not often unbearable, although of course I do sometimes wish for a little window of break.  I certainly know that one day I will look back with great longing at time with my sweet Asher.  So I am trying to savor every moment.  Every single consecutive moment with my inseparable weekend buddy.