Do or do not. There is no try.

It's amazing what you can do when you don't have a choice.

Actally, we always have a choice: do or do not.

On Thursday morning I did.  I woke up to take Abby to school for play pracitce and we were about two blocks down the road when my car just felt funny.  I pulled over to the side of the road and sure enough my tire was loosing air.  So I got back in the car and drove it back home the two blocks we'd just come, the whole way praying that the tire wouldn't go completely flat.  I unlaoded the kids back into the house and called Uriah (because I felt I needed someone to tell me how to handle this situation).  We put our heads together and ran through our list of possible help, but really, who would be able to come over at 7am and change my tire for me?  It didn't take long to realize that this particular task was all on me.  About that time, Finn decided that he wanted breakfast.  Immediately.  If this tire was going to get fixed; if Finn was going to eat and if I was going to work, I was going to have to get it done.

So, I made sure Abby was using her unexpected extra morning time wisely while she waited for the bus (reading a book, not watching tv - good girl!).  I fixed Finn a bottle, pulled out his stroller and allowed him to have breakfast al fresco.  Then I pushed up my sleeves, opened the trunk and got to work.

Now, I did put Uriah on speaker phone and he walked me through the steps, but I think that if I really had to do it on  my own, I could have gotten the task done.  The bus picked Abby up on time.  Finn got to daycare.  And I drove very slowly to work.  And I got there with time to spare!

Initally I was a little bit pissed off that I was left at home alone with the kids and the morning routine and the getting everyone up and dressed and going by myself every morning.  And then add on top of all of that a stupid flat tire.  I mean, balls, I hadn't even brushed my hair yet and I was still in my pajamas (sorry neighbors and small kids walking to school, I know that is totally not the sight you wanted to start your Thursday with!).  But, once I practiced some deep breathing exercises and actually assessed the situation, I realized that I can do this (get the kids out the door on time, change a flat tire, kill a spider in the basement). 

Every so often, I surprise even my staunchest critic: myself.