These girls rock! Case #1: Ann is hilarious

I will highlight friends who inspire me and teach me something worth learning, sometimes in unexpected ways but no less meaningful.  I'll start with Ann, age 30-something. (Names will be slightly altered so they won't come up on a Google search.)

 
 Here's a recent post on Facebook from my friend Ann.  Word for word.

I had a major, major "back in high school" anxiety dream last night. The whole bit - can't find my classes, my locker, my friends, etc. It's taken me most of the morning to recover.

I personally think that Lorne Michaels should be tripping over himself to hire Ann as a writer on SNL. She’s too funny. Ann makes an unfortunate lunch incident involving a hungry woman and her spilled Jenny Craig soup bowl absolutely hilarious. She doesn’t know how funny she is, but it’s her way of dealing with life.

Ann is a former neighbor, the mother of two boys, and works part time (if 30+ hours is part time). She works with books, and she LOVES her work. Ann once confided that when she added boy # 2 to the mix, her job was covering day care expenses almost exclusively, but every hour spent at her office was worth it. She was not willing to drop out of the workforce, was not willing to give up what brings her so much joy, and felt she can only be a good mom if she’s engaged in something that makes her happy. 

Ann molding a face mask for a friend on Halloween. A few awesome masks were molded that day.

I met Ann on my way into a daycare I was visiting in Chicago. She encouraged me to give them a try: her boys are alive and well, she said. The older one learns a bunch, the younger one has his nose wiped when needed. All butts are clean when they get home. Excellent. The standards are a bit higher of course, but you get my drift. We became fast friends, and neighbors.  At the playground once, Ann’s younger son (about 19 months) was on the swing set, and I simply could not concentrate I was worried sick he might fall.  He did fall, and I lurched toward him. Ann laughed and told me to hurry up and have a another child so all this jumpiness would calm down. No broken bones?  No blood?  Both eyes intact?  He’s fine. 

You may laugh, but, well, soon enough that was my approach to kids as well.

Ann loves her life, her job, her kids. She manages all of it really well despite the obvious challenges. What challenges you may ask?  Well, it's really hard to find childcare at the drop of a hat. It's hard to come up with suitable summer activities for each child...every single summer.  It's hard to get up and get ready in the morning sometimes without at least one person having a meltdown.  This is the life we--modern parents-- lead I suppose.  Ann, however, manages to decorate cupcakes exquisitely regardless of the occasion even after a particularly bad morning. I can’t even make the cupcake (forget decorating it) if I have to deviate from a boxed mix. 

So, there you go: balancing active boys, work, husband, life, school affairs, daycare, and Jenny Craig, all with a wicked sense of humor: that’s Ann. 

Next friend: Kay.