Lonely, part 2

When John was 2, there came a knock at my door.  With a two-year-old and a new baby, I was totally in the weeds and I’m sure my house and I were looking like a mess.  My neighbor from two doors down and her adorable little daughter stood on my porch.  Jessica was also two and she was dressed as the cutest little ladybug you ever saw.  Carolyn, the Mom, looked at us in shock. “Aren’t we going to the Halloween party in the park?!” I had completely forgotten. Maybe our three-week-old, newborn, Philip, could go costume-less but not walking, talking John. How could Halloween have slipped my mind?! So, I grabbed an apron, a chef’s hat (have no idea where that came from but it was in the drawer!) and a sifter…voila, my little chef was ready to go. I could have begged off with no costume, no dinner on the stove, no plan (!), but instead, our little group walked to the park and enjoyed the festivities. Sometimes, you just have to do it – to be with people – to let go of appearing unprepared. The other mothers “get” it and the ones that don’t are not the ones you want to be friends with anyway.