A new woman

<----We had to ask some poor fool to take this ridiculous photo for us

My first trip away from the kids was wonderful. I spent the weekend relaxing and recharging and today I feel like a new woman. The spa, the hotel, the company, the shopping were all great, but for some reason trouble seemed to follow us wherever we went. The first night someone called security on us at 2 a.m. because we were making too much noise in our room, which made me feel like I was back in college again. The second night we got scammed by a dishonest parking attendant. It was one of those places where you slip a $5 bill in a slot and park. We came back to the lot after 4 hours of walking around to find that our car was missing. When we questioned the parking attendant, he said that our car had been towed. It was pretty obvious from the beginning that we were being scammed, since we had most definitely paid the $5 AND in the presence of the manager. We later found out that he had called to get the car towed almost immediately after we (3 women) had left the lot. After yelling at some boneheads on the phone and talking to the police, we acquiesced and paid the $215 to get our car from the tow yard, which was conveniently located a block away from where we had parked the car. Apparently we have no recourse except if we want to take them to small claims court. What drama. Life is just not as interesting without all the mishaps and run-ins with the law. Everyday I am amazed at the crooks that are out there and the blatant disregard they have for others. These people messed with the wrong woman.

Anyway, my point was really to talk about this weekend and how it affected me. It made me appreciate my life more, including my husband and two girls, and it gave me this new found energy and drive. Inside I was screaming for something like this. As a mother I put myself last, and my happiness and health are often an afterthought. I often worry that if I continue giving and not taking care of myself there will be nothing left but a withered empty shell. Women with kids spend a large portion of their lives dealing with guilt: guilt for not giving enough to their jobs because of family, guilt for not being there for their children when they need them, guilt for not being able to juggle the laundry list of responsibilities that are always knocking on their door, and guilt for taking time for themselves. If this weekend taught me one thing, it was that feeling guilty about the latter is ridiculous. In fact taking time for yourself and regarding your needs as a priority make you a better and stronger person. My girls will learn from my example, and when they put themselves first they will love who they are and everything that comes out of their life.