I Make It Look So Easy

I received the best compliment today. I was at a PTA event, a fundraiser for my kids' school at McDonald's. My friend Teresa and I were talking about my dog fostering adventures, and she said that I "make it look so easy."

I almost choked on my McDonald's Sweet Tea. I definitely laughed out loud.

I am a MESS! A disorganized, frantic, out-of-control weirdo. Seriously. I figured out when Teresa said that I "make it look so easy" that I may be misrepresenting myself on Facebook, to my friends, and on my blog. I thought it may be appropriate to admit to y'all that I am STRUGGLIN'.

I should give you a few examples.

I have laundry in my basement floor. It is piled. Piled high.

My daughter had an intervention with me recently about her bookbag. She said that her bookbag is starting to look like a paper volcano erupted in it.

We are excited in the morning if the children actually make it to the bus stop on time. Bus-stop-days are good days. Non-bus-stop-days result in an angry pajama-clad Mommy dropping kids off at school.

On that note, it is embarrassing to drop the kids off at school because at drop-off, all of the trash in my car falls out the car door when the teacher opens it to get the kids out. There is nothing more humbling than a teacher picking up an old sweaty sock and a shin guard to throw back into the floorboard of your car.

And work...it is okay to have ONE cup of coffee on your desk. But with me, ONE cup turns into three or four, and the remains of the cream-topped coffee may be growing my daughter's next Science Fair project.

Speaking of my desk, it is pretty bad when you go on vacation and come back to a cleaned desk. They weren't firing me; they were feeling sorry for me because I have to work in a self-created hazardous desk environment.

Back at home, you should see our "shoe closet." DON'T OPEN THE SHOE CLOSET. It is so full of shoes (that we don't even wear), we literally have to take a running start when we are closing the closet door.

I have a printer that my parents gave me for Christmas. Printers are good for creating letters, copying and printing useful information, etc. Our unopened printer box currently serves as a stand to hold our cable box next to our TV. I could open it. Seems like an easy enough task. But nah, I think it looks good sitting right there under the cable box. I will continue to go to my parents' house whenever we need to print something. (You might be a redneck if...)

I have a beautiful antique piano in our living room. It has a layer or six of dust on it. When I do get around to dusting it, it is a quick "around the picture frames" job to make it look moderately presentable.

Sometimes my mom pities me and does our dishes.

Bottom line is...I might make it "look" easy, but life isn't easy. I am a normal human being, with normal problems. Sometimes my problems may be more excessive than other people's problems, but I pick my priorities. Fostering dogs may look easy when I do it because it is one of the most rewarding aspects of my life.

If you have ever considered turning in a few of your duties (dusting, doing the dishes, cleaning out the shoe closet) in exchange for a fun volunteer job, contact one of the following organizations for dog fostering opportunities:

Franklin County Humane Society www.plannedpethoodrockymount.com

Roanoke Valley SPCA www.rvspca.org