My husband looked at the towels spread across our back porch. "Why paper making?"<\/p>\n
My 13-year-old didn't even hesitate. "Paper is so cheap," he said.<\/p>\n
I had spent nearly two hours on my knees on the hot concrete, scooping watery paper pulp into a frame, sponging out the excess water, and laying each fragile sheet onto a towel as if I were preserving ancient documents.<\/p>\n
Just as I finally stood up, my hip bumped the bucket, and over she went. Cue the sound of dirty paper water pouring straight into the grass.<\/p>\n
Was I making paper? Was I making papier-m\u00e2ch\u00e9? Honestly, I wasn't sure anymore.<\/p>\n
My back hurt. My knees hurt. My grass looked like a kindergarten art class had exploded. By the time I finished cleaning everything up, I had exactly one thought:<\/p>\n
But the paper had never been the point. Heck, it didn't even look good.<\/p>\n
Take a smarter break in your day – and see how far you get.<\/p>\n
At 35, I decided to try one new thing for every year I had been alive. Some of those things would stick. Others, clearly, would not. The point was to remember what it felt like to do something simply because I wanted to know what it would be like.<\/p>\n
I became a mom at 19. My first son was born before I had fully figured out who I was as an adult. By the time many people my age were learning what they liked, I was learning how to keep a tiny human alive.<\/p>\n
Now I have three kids, ages 15, 13, and 6. For the last 15 years, motherhood has been the center of my life.<\/p>\n
I love being a mom. I love my family. But somewhere along the way, I got very good at being useful.<\/p>\n
I work from home, which means I am almost always available. Available for school pickups, snacks, laundry, appointments, and the "Mom, where is my\u2026" questions that somehow only I can answer, even when the item is directly in front of everyone.<\/p>\n
My husband coached our son's soccer and football teams. He volunteered with the church band. He played golf with friends.<\/p>\n
My kids had sports, friends, activities, and their own growing lives.<\/p>\n