And I think to myself...

Have you ever met somebody, bonded with them, and then tried to remember what it was like before you knew and loved them? Have you ever answered the question "How did you meet?" with, "Well, through a friend of a friend of a friend?" I have the internet eqivalent of that, and it's the site Crazy Hip Blog Mamas. Although I might be on the wilder, more unconventional end of the spectrum of Mamas, I have lost hours reading the blogs of the members, laughing and crying and knowing exactly what they mean.

Long story short- I know, TOO LATE!- every so often, they post a Writing Prompt, and it's that time again. It's not an assignment or a competition, but a collaboration to a group that I would love to contribute something to. I can't give every Mama a pedicure or bake cookies for every child in the world, but it's nice to be a part of something and I gotta earn my keep somehow. Let's face it- answering a question is a lot easier than dealing with dirty Mommy Feet (no offense, mine are the worst!) and probably more appreciated than loading kids up with sugar ("Junior get off the ceiling this instant!").


Q: "What song/movie best tells the story of your life/family?"
A: There are no movies that I can compare my life and family to. No movies, but plenty of Soap Operas. All My Children, for one. The Young and the Restless! Daze (I totally meant to do that) of Our Lives. (Ha! But I digress!) So I ruled movies out pretty quickly, and started racking my brain for songs. Music is more my thing anyway, there has to be something... (Elapsed Time: 27 hours) No, nothing really here either. Instead of dwelling so much on finding something that mimics my life, I figured that I'd be better off just trying to identify with something that can describe it. What's my anthem?

When I'm going out, I have to play "Bad Reputation" by Joan Jett. When I'm working out, I listen to Metroid The Band. When I need a pick-me-up, it's "Just Like Heaven" by The Cure, and nothing makes traffic more tolerable than Boston's "More Than A Feeling." When I think about my life, as a whole, and the family I come from and the family I've made, the one song that sums it all up is What A Wonderful World. (Not to loose all street cred, I'd like to add that my favorite version is the Joey Ramone cover, although the original by Louis Armstrong is divine. Obviously.) The song, like me, expresses the sentiments that life is great and we're lucky to be living it. Is getting a flat tire really that bad- we have red roses and fluffy clouds and people to share them with. Even when you have a bad day... you have a new one tomorrow. Usually this song inspires me to get lost in optimistic existential thought, and by the time it gets to the line "I see babies cry, and I watch them grow/ They'll learn much more than we'll ever know", I can't help but tear up. What mother doesn't think her world has been made a wonderful place only because of the child(ren) we've been granted to show it to? Who isn't humbled by the thought of that? A chocolate shake is DAMN good in and of itself, but something as simple as watching as my kids get their first taste of the magic that happens when you mix chocolate syrup, milk, and plain old vanilla ice cream together makes me giddy. Our world, with terrorism and taxes and people who tip less than 15%, might not be perfect, but when someone looks up at you and says, "I wub you, Mommy!", it sure is wonderful. I might be discontent with my job, with my relationship status, with my laundry pile taller than my six-year-old, and my bank account that is so low that afformentioned six year old can count higher than my current balance... but at least somebody wubs me.

Through the terrible twos and the teens and probably every year in between, I might need Joey Ramone to remind me of that every now and then.