A little perspective

Every now and then you get a reminder of how easily everything can slip away. We had a little scare at school today and my immediate reaction was anger. This was the same reaction I had when a child brought a gun to school. It's like, how dare you threaten my safety because of your stupidity?! They don't realize that their actions effect over 1200 other people as well. It's amazing that a child can bring an entire school to a screeching halt and cause mass chaos. My second reaction was a mothering instinct (who knew I had it in me?) to protect my kids. My mind automatically went to, "Okay, so how can I get them all out of here safely and calmly?" It was another opportunity for me to step back, stop being so selfish and take stock in how blessed I am in my life. Sometimes I think that my staunch independence gets in the way of being able to show my emotions to those I care most about. Since Pat, I have tried to be better about that, but I still need a reminder now and then. I've got it good compared to a lot of people, so get over yourself and stop your complaining about gas prices and boys!