What Are the Benefits?

Let's have a look at Jack's calendar this week, shall we? Let's see, Monday he was in the office but met a friend after work for a drink or two, outside on a lovely Chicago evening. Today he is in Wisconsin, golfing. Tomorrow he's out in the suburbs but will spend the afternoon at Wrigley. Thursday he will suffer through another grueling day behind the desk but thankfully Friday he's back on the course, taking in another 18 before taking off next week for a week with the family at the beach. Exhausting, really.

On my calendar this week? Tuesday, soccer in the morning, Friday, haircuts, and the rest of the week spent preparing us for a week at the beach. You can imagine, sunblock shopping and the like, it can wear a person out. From time to time I see that there are benefits to being the one working outside the home, specifically four hours chasing a small ball around a large grassy field, and driving that wonderful little cart, I could entertain myself for days with that cart alone. Not once in four hours would you have to decide who had the red crayon first, I imagine there would be little or no discussion as to the exact origin of the bloody nose, and certainly no one screams like mad when they don't get to use the potty first (I may be stretching here, I suppose that is possible but for argument's sake we'll assume not).

Of course there are benefits to my post as well, and sometimes I forget, say when I am at the grocery store and someone accidentally knocks down an entire stack of shampoo bottles, or when I wake up to Mary announcing that she forgot to put on her nighttime diaper, on those occasions I might forget then that there are days spent like this,

and while I would still take an hour or two on that cart, my days are blissfully full and the benefits well worth the effort.