For quite sometime I've felt as though I have been ready ready ready for a mom. It's hard navigating the world without a mom. And it feels especially hard sometimes navigating the world as a woman without a mom. I have caught myself, on more occasion than one, bargaining with the universe for a mother. (Let's make 5 random acts of kindness equal 1 sticker and if I get 15 stickers I get a mom.) I have been on constant watch, for at least the last two years. I see moms everywhere. I am brilliantly aware of mothers in all facets of humanity. I can not however accept just any ole lady as a filler mama. Much like dating I have high standards for my potential mother.
Well wouldn't you know; they have popped up here and there and all over the world. I have begun a small collection of stand-in moms and beautiful motherly figures that I can access for all sorts of reasons. I'm still not sure if they can or will ever fully replace a real mom, you know, the kind that is required to love you most and love you forever. But None the less, I am lucky I have them and have intentions of adding to this classy mama collection until the day I die. And now I have one in Portland.
From the moment I started working for public education again, I pinned Jan as a potential work mom. The pivotal tipping point was a bizarrely painful, cruel, and unusual IEP meeting we shared. It was as though just having Jan there made it slightly less painful. She is calm, wildly intelligent, witty, compassionate, and absolutely lovely. I am fortunate enough to share 6 schools with her, giving us plenty of stressful parents and complex students to jointly analyze, commiserate over, and share laughs about.
Today after work we grabbed a beer and I realized that she this may be the beginning of another lovely relationship.
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