CATHARSIS

Wow..."T" certainly was prolific yesterday. Three posts!

When I logged in this morning, I also found a funny message from her in response to my Tuesday ("Rain, Rain Go Away") post. She laughed at me, and then told me about her morning that same day -- waking up late, missing her daughter's bus, walking to school in the rain and having to change clothes again before coming to work because she was soaked!

Yet, she didn't gripe about it to you as I did.

That led me to the revelation that I, News Mom "V," am the sour, pessimistic one and "T" is the take-things-in-stride, optimistic one.

Ouch.

I HAVE been grumpy lately, and feeling overwhelmed. I think as moms (working and stay-at-home) we all go through those stages...and I'm smack dab in the middle of one.

My gall bladder surgery is looming; my baby is about to turn one; my house, which was recently renovated, still needs some kinks worked out (not to mention some furnishings) and I desperately NEED something to perk me up -- like a free hour a day to exercise, or a manicure/pedicure or a 20-pound weight loss!

Before you tell me to get over it, don't worry -- I've already had that conversation with myself.

Especially after this morning:

After realizing just how grumpy I've been, I went downstairs to pick up some overdue drycleaning -- which I now needed ASAP because I was being sent out on a story and had come to work wearing my jeans again!

While down there I ran into a correspondent for another network housed in my building. She's a lovely woman and fellow working mom who three months ago donated a portion of her liver to her infant son with a rare liver disorder. In her words, she had no choice but do it. After invasive surgery and a long hospital stay, her little boy is back home and she is amazingly back at work.

She looked wonderful (although significantly thinner as a result of what she's been through) and spoke lovingly of her little boy and the precautions she still needs to take to keep him out of the woods.

Her poise and strength really left an impression and gave me a little kick in the you-know-what.

If she's been to hell and back with the prospect of losing her little boy and still manages to seem so in control of her life, why can't I?

As a result of my conversation with her, I got back to the office too late to change out of my jeans and had to run out to cover my assigned event -- the National Association of Letter Carriers Hero of the Year Awards -- still wearing them.

The main award recipient, a man by the name of Jim Osborne, went AWOL from his letter carrying job in South Florida after Hurricane Katrina to help rescue flood victims in New Orleans with his airboat. He saved more than twenty people. His convoy of 10 airboats saved more than 175 people.

He was emotional during an interview I did with him. And also inspiring. An everyday hero (OK--how sick is it that the theme song from Higglytown Heroes is playing in my head?)...just like the correspondent I ran into earlier in the day.

I don't really have a witty ending line here about how I've been renewed as a result of talking to these people, or that my life has changed in any way, or that I've snapped out of my funk...but these people certainly helped me look at my life a little bit differently today -- and put things in perspective.

I'll let you know if I can carry that feeling through into tomorrow.

News Mom "V"