Rambling

Tonight we embark on a 6+ hour drive to Arcata, carefully planned to the sleep cycles of Madelena, She Who Does Not Enjoy Long Car Rides. Our plans include fueling up on forbidden caffeine from Peet's coffee, flashcards to keep our brains active and Benadryl for all under three feet. The one thing I had not planned on was a sudden heat wave in Arcata, reaching 87 degrees today.

Holy mother of god. 

I will be spending 3 nights in a mobile home in Arcata, far from sea breezes and close to a number of homes with carved wooden donkeys and bathtubs filled with flowers. I will be sharing my room and possibly my bed with a squirming and sweaty kid of some gender, and am already stressed by the possible lack of diet foods available to me and necessary for my Body 2008 goals. And now the wrath of god on Arcata in the form of stifling heat? I know China, Myanmar and others have problems, but what about MY NEEDS?

It will actually be a relief to be in Arcata, where newspapers are printed weekly and internet service is only found at Starbucks for the low, low price of your SOUL. Recent news from China, Myanmar and friends in Guatemala have become overwhelming in my mom-head as of late, and I find myself waking up at 2am to think of all of the grief being felt around the world this week, summed up by the phrase "what if that were MY child?"

Everyday we complain to our friends about our childcare, the cost of repairs to our Volvo or BMW, how difficult it is to find just the right organic produce or a yoga class that works for us. We drive a few miles to stock up on fresh food and organic milk, pick up flowers every week without a thought about cost, download the lastest iTunes without a blink, buy our $14 per pound olives and then pass that guy on the street so distastefully panhandling. And we go home to kiss or complain about our always well-dressed, well-fed, well-educated and generally healthy children who most likely have no obstacles before them that can't be overcome by themselves, their family and their U.S. citizenship status.

So while we drive to Arcata without worrying about floods, cyclones, PGN, mortar rounds or the prospect of prison for driving out of our neighborhood without papers, I will try to focus on the blessed life that I live rather than any screaming coming from the back seat. And perhaps by doing that I will also stop worrying heat and the availability of Atkins bars and realize that while other mothers in other countries are looking for their lost children or struggling to find basic food and supplies.... I know exactly where my child is and that we will have everything we need tomorrow. And the next day. And the next. 

Namaste.

Author's note: This was written with a 12 ounce bag of frozen sweet corn on my neck to battle the heat stroke that is imminent in our 100+ degree house, which may have also affected the rambling quality of this entry. Thank you, global warming.