Present Company

I was up almost before the pre-dawn alarm, dressing, not for going to work, but for the first day of school. By 7, I had ushered one child out the door to her bus. By 8, I had accompanied another on her train ride and sent her into school (no hugs, Mom!). And since Child 3 wouldn't go into his schoolyard until almost 9, I managed to get there too.
 
Schleppy, you ask? Perhaps. And yet, in the midst of it all, I was so happy to be in the midst of it all, "present," as it were, that it felt way more exhilarating than schleppy.
 
I have written before about the many years when I left home early and came home late. While I loved those years at ABC and at Cosby, and more recently, in Stamford, and while the bases were always well covered by babysitters, there were many times when I was far from present. What I have discovered post all of those jobs is that it is just as possible to be "far from present" when you are physically there as it is when you are gone for long hours.
 
Today, I made sure, not just for my kids, but for myself--actually, mostly for myself-- that I was really "present." There will be time for errands and networking tomorrow, and the next day, and the day after that. To be not just "there," but "present" is an opportunity not to be missed. And a gift we can give ourselves, not just on the first day of school, but every day.