To my friends

Dear blogging friends:

I used to get frustrated with my husband for not answering his emails in a timely manner. He told me that after staring at computer screens all day, it was close to the last thing he wanted to do at home. Finding him on Reddit night after night, I didn’t believe him.

Now I get it. After the boys go to bed I spend hours doing homework for my online class. There is some reading in an actual textbook, but a lot of the work is done on the computer. PDFs, videos, webinars, and a TON of time required posting on the class discussion board.

I love the class and am learning so much that I feel like I have to keep my hands over my ears to keep it from all pouring out again. But when those hours are done? I’m done.

Sure, I can still handle being passively entertained by technology a little, but my eyes are too tired to concentrate on typed words, and my overstuffed head wants to be treated to brain candy in the form of Newbery books.

The rest of the crazy days I have ideas rippling through my mind, but they flow right out while I sleep, and no posts get written here.

I still read your blogs on my phone, but it’s a HUGE pain to comment from it, so I haven’t been. I beg forgiveness. Maybe I’ll start commenting by twitter. Will that work?

I won’t be done with the classes until Christmas, so I promise to figure out a balance soon.

To my local friends:

I miss seeing you and having playdates with your wonderful, hilarious children. I just can’t seem to figure out when. I feel guilty spending time ignoring Sebastian on Mondays during his alone day with me, or Theo on Thursdays during his. Tuesday I’m away at work until 4, so I spend Wednesday just soaking up them both.

That leaves Friday, by which time my house needs the whole housekeeping crew from Downton to come (clucking and shaking their heads) to clean it, so I’m too embarrassed to invite you over.

Going out requires superhuman feats of energy these days with not one but two unbelievably willful children, and friends, it is all gone by then.

My solution is to revive my dessert club and invite you out on a Saturday evening. After I’ve cleaned, showered, and done my homework of course.

No, really, it will happen. Because I do miss talking with you.

To my far-away friends and family:

Please read and combine the above explanations and feel free to award me World’s Worst Correspondent. If it were not for Facebook, I know many of you would be calling the police to make sure I hadn’t died out here in the Pacific Northwest. (You would try calling or emailing J first, but he never answers his phone or email.)

Do know that I love and miss you dearly. I teared up when my fabulous friend and college roommate tried to send me chai & chocolate yesterday to cheer me up. If I could be half the friend she is, my world -and yours- would be ever so much nicer.

To everyone:

Thank you for understanding. Your thoughts and words do reach me, and carry me along when I want to stay in my bathrobe all day and eat Ben & Jerry’s. My waistline thanks you, too.

Love,
Jessica

6 Responses to To my friends
  1. NJ @ A Pocket Full Of Dinosaurs
    March 3, 2012 | 9:45 am

    Balancing it all is SO HARD! Those who really know you won’t mind your absence (but will probably miss you!).

  2. Aunt Lori
    March 4, 2012 | 7:21 am

    I remember how much I missed your Mom when she was knee-deep in her studies and not feeling well. Then, I returned to school—and became rather disconnected myself. We all understand that you will re-surface, and that it is for a greater good/cause! Just remember that “Life is all about finding balance, grasshopper!”

  3. Tami
    March 4, 2012 | 8:20 am

    Sometimes it’s hard to balance life and find the time for things we love to do. When you can post, I will be glad to know what you are up to. Good luck with the studies.

  4. Rach
    March 5, 2012 | 2:06 pm

    Aww my husband is a huge Reddit fan too. 🙂 Also, I know what you mean about how difficult it can be to keep up with commenting on blogs. No worries, girl!

  5. Pamela
    March 7, 2012 | 10:16 am

    Hang in there; you are juggling a lot of roles! Good friends will be waiting for you after busy times:) Enjoy your class!

  6. Missy | The Literal Mom
    March 9, 2012 | 7:26 am

    No worries, Jessica! Do what you can and we’ll be here when things slow down.