Fitting It All In (and is it really worth it?)

This is a story of extreme dedication (or insanity?) that I have been waiting to tell. I am a spin instructor at a popular fitness club in the DC Metro area. I mention this first, so you can ponder the location and its dynamics as you read this story. DC is the political hub of our country and along with that comes millions of people, millions of jobs, and lots of commuting. Needless to say, people somehow manage to live fulfilling, albeit somewhat hectic lives. I know some folks who live in the suburbs of DC and commute an hour plus to work one way. What I've learned about this area are a few important things (especially if you don't live in DC proper):

1. Plan your drive to avoid the worst traffic times. There is always traffic, but some hours are much worse than others.
2. Try (if possible) to do any shopping of any kind during the week. Because everyone else who functions in this rat race lifestyle does it on the weekend. Think back to those millions of people. It is nuts on the weekend. This is when they play catch-up.
3. If you absolutely have to do things on the weekend of this nature, do it as early as humanly possible. For some reason, everyone around here sleeps in. I don't get it. Perhaps the commuting deal, exhausting week, etc., finally hits them. 
4. Know your interstates, beltways, highways, routes, parkways and interchanges. Very. Well. Or you will get another half hour sucked out of your day.

Just a little more background on the types of things we're dealing with here. The things that complicate life. And one person's story of how they "fit it all in."

Back to the main story...I went to substitute a spin class for a fellow instructor a few weeks back. I usually teach in the morning, so I always like to teach the later classes (6:30pm). They are a completely different bunch of cyclists and it is always a delight to teach them. These people rush through some serious traffic to get into a class and work their asses off. I always like gathering stories, and this particular night a woman was talking about her kids. I asked how many she has. "Three," she replied. I inquired, "Are they over in the babysitting room?" "Oh, no", she said, "They are home with my husband." So, my next question was, "Do you work full-time." I am always curious how people do this with multiple children (although I know, I know, people have been doing this and doing it well for a long time now). She then detailed a horrifying story of "how she fits it all in." Holy crap. Hang on to your seat....

I am giving up on the quotes...here it goes.

On the weekends, I cook all of our meals for the week (or some). On Sunday night, I pack their lunches for the week [her kids are all elementary school age]. My husband gets up early and is at the gym by 5am, so I take care of mornings. Sunday night I load the car with a cooler filled with juice boxes and granola bars so breakfast is easy. Everyone's bags are in the car. I get up at 4:00 a.m., get myself ready, wake up the kids. Oh, I make them sleep in their school clothes, just to make it easier. [This is where I almost lost my schmidt, to quote  the ladies from Rants from Mommyland.] I get them in the car, and they usually fall back to sleep for our commute into DC. It's great, because I can take the HOV if I need to [ahem...you need three in the car]. When they wake-up, they can have their juice and a bar. It's about an hour commute or more depending on traffic. They do the afterschool thing, and my husband picks them up. I go straight from work to the gym, because I need my workout. I sometimes squeeze part of it in at lunch if I can.

Whew.

I know. This is an extreme example. A lot of people in this area could live a little more relaxed, if they would sacrifice that ginormous house (and I mean disgustingly large) or lux ride (and boy are they ever in this part of the country. I have never seen so many Land Rovers, Mercedes and BMWs rolling around). But, hey, to each his/her own.

I'm not sure what the point of this story is...regardless of how hard/easy your life is, making time for yourself and your health is important. Do I think she is missing some valuable time with those kids? Absolutely.  Do I think they probably despise being woken up at the ass crack of dawn? Certainly.

Does this make me glad I can only find part-time work? Without a doubt.

Anna Marie