Almost a Life

I've quit keeping track of the percentage. For the first three weeks of the schoolyear I was proud of my 50% bicycle commuting rate. I wasn't setting an unrealistic goal of every day -- I knew the increased stress of being back at work was going to be enough to throw me off physically -- but I thought a couple three times a week was realistic. I forgot the exhaustion of being back on a schedule and of structuring nine-year-olds all day every day, of getting up at 5:30.

This year I'm not going to bring home a nightly pile of work. This year I'm going to stick to getting in before 7 so I can leave at 4. This year I'm going to cut back on the papers NO PAPERS to make the kids' learning real. This year I'm going to ride to work regularly because it keeps me sane. This year I refuse to let the clutter get in the way of knowing my kids and experiencing my life.

This year those goals are still malleable and real. It's the closest I've ever been.

- Old Bag Learning New Tricks