Milk at 11

Okay, it was really 10 when I went out for milk--11 just had a nicer ring, like " News at 11." And I think I must have been at least a little bit asleep when I went, because the whole errand took far longer than just getting milk.
 
Why does it matter that I went to buy milk at 10pm? It doesn't, except that it meant that I would have milk in the morning, and, oh yeah, that I didn't stop in my travels with children to get the milk. Somehow, our conversation about the day (which I found out was not so great) took us home, not to the store. I was concentrating so intently on the drama of young lives that detouring for milk was unthinkable.
 
I don't necessarily like going out at 10 to buy milk, but I do like the idea that I allowed myself to be so wrapped up in our conversation that I would need to. It is great to plan ahead--to anticipate needs for supplies or child care or to make advance arrangements for days off or special events. What sometimes gets lost in all of that, however, is our ability to live in the moment--to focus completely on a conversation that is happening right now or an event that is happening today. To listen to immediate needs rather than chase upcoming ones.
 
Yes, I kind of sleepwalked through buying milk at 10 (and came home with a few other things besides milk). But what led to that--focusing on the kid news of the day at 7:30--made it all worth it.