Blues and the Zoo

Growing up sucks. When you're a kid, you never think that life as a grown-up is going to stink. That the job that you love will disappear and go away. That you will have money problems and bills and responsibilities. That your Prince Charming is really just a man who is flawed just like yourself, and your marriage is an entity that requires constant maintenance. That your kids, while loving little creatures, aren't always well behaved, either in public or at Walmart. (There is a difference: The kids were monsters the other day at Walmart. I said, "Is this how you want people to see you behave in public?" Spencer said, "Mom, this isn't public. This is Walmart.")

Life as an adult is a whole lot harder than I ever imagined. Did I not see this in my own parents? My parents got divorced before I turned 5 years old. Did I not see the struggles my mother went through to raise us? To make sure we were fed, not just our bellies, but our minds. I remember the set of World Book Encyclopedias she tried her hand at selling, just so we would have a set at home. (Encyclopedias, by the way, for you young 'uns, is like your internet today.) She always made sure that we were involved in something, to enrich us and give us hope for the future.

I go through the UNL campus on my way to some of my Mary Kay meetings. I drive past the young, hopeful college students. They are just now plotting out their futures. I remember my days at WPGU at the University of Illinois, so full of promise. Ideas and concepts pouring out of our little heads. Not realizing at one point, people stop listening to those ideas. That "cutbacks" and "economic decisions" and are more important than fantastic ideas. That "towing the company line" takes presidence over ingenuity.

I haven't been writing in this blog too much lately, because, to be honest, I've been pretty blue. The stress of everything is really starting to get to me and I didn't think that anyone would want to read a blog of an over-stressed, slightly drunk mother of three. Now that might be able to make a good country song. Maybe even a blues song. But usually people read my blog for the "uplift." And I haven't really felt that until today.

Today, Spencer and I took his friend Alex to the Lincoln Children's Zoo. Of course getting out of the house was a nightmare. Mia was screaming, full of jealousy wondering why she couldn't come too. Spencer was insisting that he have a special one-on-one day with his friend, whose birthday we had to miss a few weeks ago because of too many things going on. (A recurring phenomenon right now). Spencer's one pair of shoes got ruined yesterday because he and Mia spent an hour playing in a bucket with a bottle of dish soap and the hose. So the kvetching over which too-small pair of shoes he was going to suffer through was another ordeal. And then Lacey got out of the house on our way out. Her favorite game is "Look How Fast I Can Run From the Human Lady When She's In A Hurry To Get Someplace."

We finally get to the zoo, and I start to relax slightly. I love the Lincoln Zoo, but my favorite thing of all, and the point to this whole blog, is my endorsement of the Z.O. & O. Railroad. The little red train takes two trips around the zoo. It's a little loud, but the hum of the engine, the rumble of the tracks, and even the occasional toot of the whistle only seem to calm my frazzle nerves even more. The soft breezes soothe my soul as we go past the camels. The sunshine glistens off of the shiny green leaves on the trees. Lilac blooms filling the air with perfume. Today, we waved to the Lincoln Marathon runners passing by. We watched the pony volunteers wave back as we passed the pony rides. (Now those are troopers for ya. Their job is to put whiney, screaming kids on the backs of hot and sticky ponies and then scoop up the poop over and over. And still, when the train passes, they smile their biggest smiles and wave back.)

Therapy sessions are like $200 bucks plus. Depending on your insurance, the prescriptions are around $40. Bottles of wine are $6.98 (Jacob's Creek Shiraz-my favorite-I'm a cheap date). The train is only $2.00 for kids, $2.75 for adults. And it goes around twice.