Today was one of those days that you wonder why you didn’t become a teacher, nurse or even a vet.  Corporate life requires lots of meetings, lots of emails and the ability to change gears about 101 times an hour.  You would think after 23 years that I would be somewhat used to days like these.  You find yourself gently pushing teams forward, calming nerves when deadlines are closer than we had planned and becoming masterful at finding different ways to get things done in order to make what seems impossible … possible.  This sentence sounds like motherhood as well — gently pushing, calming nerves and making the impossible… possible.

I left a meeting today and wasn’t feeling at all like my my cheery ol’ self.  Instead I was thinking about the meeting, my frustrations and wondering what to do next to keep everything in order for the team.  I went to my office to hide for a bit and decided I would check personal emails to see if there was anything interesting happening “on the outside” … something mindless like a note about the room mother meeting I had missed this morning.  There is it was.  In between 72 new emails, was an email from my oldest son.  Now, when you get an email from your 16 year old you don’t always know what you are in for … right?!  The subject line was “Mom I need to tell you something.”  HOLY CRAP!!! I opened it up without even hesitating — what else can this day bring my way. Now what?  Flunking a class, quitting band, detention?!

“Hi Mom.  I just wanted to tell you that I love you.”  That was it. A sweet note reminding me that my oldest dude loves me.  I read the email a few dozen times — shared it with a co-worker or two (other Moms who immediately would tear up).  I noticed something at the top of the email – he had written it on August 30 and it had just come through on September 17 (gotta love AOL).  I really did need to see that email after the day I was having at work. AOL timing couldn’t have been better.

I will go back to the corporate world again tomorrow praying that it is a better day.  It helps knowing that I have a fan club at home that loves me even when a project or two falls apart. I did tell him not to EVER have a subject line with “Mom I need to tell you something” again or he would be grounded.. He looked up as he was heading upstairs … “you’re crazy.”