The death of the magazine industry has been touted for several years now. I’ve always been a lover of magazines though and thanks to the decline of print magazine revenues and attempts of companies to increase circulation, I have recently gotten some amazing deals on magazine subscriptions.
Consequently, my mailbox is filled with suggestions for adorable Halloween decoration (Garland of candy corn? What a great idea!), delicious fall soup recipes (Gingered Pumpkin Soup with Gruyere Cheese), and new yoga poses that would surely relieve all my stress if my body would only bend in the amazing positions pictured. But the fun doesn’t stop there- I have an assurance of flat abs with five simple exercise moves per day, a disturbing list of 50 secrets pilots won’t tell me, and a story that discount airline Ryanair is seeking permission to offer “standing room only” flights.
Although removing these magazines from my mailbox at the end of a work day fills me with a special joy, they are quickly laid aside as the needs of my four kids rise to the surface.
On a recent weekend morning I woke up early- ie. before the kids. Steaming cup of coffee in hand I stood in my kitchen thinking about how I should spend those precious few moments of peace. A huge pile of magazines on the entryway table beckoned me. Then the upcoming school carnival came to mind and how I had agreed to recruit and coordinate community volunteers; there was a lot of work yet to do. For a moment I was annoyed. I work a full-time job. Why did I step up to do anything besides maybe bake a cake for the cake walk? But then I remember- we do not live in a world with PTAs populated by stay-at-home Moms. Instead, our PTA ledger is filled with women who work full-time jobs, just like me. And many of the women who people probably assume are stay at home moms, actually work one or more part-time jobs doing childcare, coordinating Sunday School teachers, catering, teaching music lessons etc.. I have to admit that sometimes I am thankful for my quiet and orderly office at work when I hear how about my friends’ juggling of kids, meals, sporting games and activities on weekends and evenings to work these various, often underpaid, part-time jobs.
Still standing unproductively in my kitchen I hear a shower turn on from the direction of my 12-year-old twins’ room. It seems like just yesterday when the older boys were little and I took them to their first Mohawk Carnival. Now, my main role for them is taxi driver and bleacher fan. To their extreme embarrassment I chaperoned one dance at their junior high this fall, but the ability to be actively involved in their school lives differs greatly from the opportunities I have at the lower levels with their siblings. So I figure, my house might not always be in perfect order, and I fail miserably at putting laundry away, but it won’t be long before the two little kids are older and the stress of recruiting volunteers for the goldfish toss is a distant memory.
So, how did I end up spending those few moments of peace? I pulled my favorite magazine, Real Simple, from the stack, gathered the remaining magazines into a paper sack and walked it down to my neighbor’s house before I could change my mind. Her Mom is having surgery the weekend of the carnival and since she won’t be able to work a shift in the goldfish toss booth, I figure she can read the magazines guilt-free. Who knows? Maybe when she recovers she’ll make me some Gingered Pumpkin Soup. . .
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