A Secret to Success as a Working Mom: Turn Burn Out Into Bliss and Embrace Joy

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Last weekend my youngest was committed to going to the "Water Steps" a man-made water fall in Pittsburgh by the rivers. (Fun Fact: Three rivers converge in Pittsburgh--The Ohio River, The Monongahela River, and the Allegheny River.)  He kept asking. I knew he was serious when he said, "If you won't take me, I'll ask  daddy!" Given that it was highly unlikely that would happen on an unscheduled day, I relented. So, we went. It wasn’t planned in the way most things in my life are. No calendar block. No checklist. No “productive” purpose attached. And, so in some respects it was uncomfortable. And yet, it seemed necessary. It was the idea of my 8-year-old—offered with the kind of urgency only children possess when something is profoundly important to them.
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There is something about a fireman...

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It was another sunny day in Pittsburgh and I saw the most splendid image, a fireman riding on his truck. His uniform was half on and half off. He was wearing a t-shirt that showed off his muscles and fire resistant pants. He was on his way to douse a fire, but he ignited one in me…

When I saw him I was standing on the corner waiting to cross street. I have never been so happy to see a “do not walk” sign in my life!

As I waited to cross the street, I heard the siren, I saw the lights flashing, and felt the sidewalk trembling. And then for the first time in a long time, I looked inside the truck. That’s when I saw him.

Inside the truck were at least four men, but the driver captured my attention. He was tall, dark, and had the strongest looking arms I had seen in real life. He was on a mission to protect and to save. He was wearing sunglasses and possessed absolute focus on the road. His face had such absolute determination that I believed that he could not be stopped.

Although I knew that he had a more important purpose, I couldn’t help but wish that he was coming to rescue me from that lonely corner to whisk me off to some private romantic place. At some point my actual vision turned from real to fantasy—full of all kinds of thoughts!

My fantasy was short lived though. I knew that he was gone when the sidewalk stopped trembling.

Then, the light changed and I was thrust back into the real world. Hopefully, he was able to put out that fire. However, I think that his image will continue to fuel mine for quite a while. Don't worry, I will keep it contained... :-)
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