Someday

Someday, when the kids are grown up, 
life will be different.
The note on my fridge door will read,”Afternoon at hairdresser”, or, 
“Browse through art gallery”, or “start golf lessons”, instead of, 
“Paediatrician at 2pm” or “Cub pack meeting”.

Someday, when the kids are grown up,
the house will be free of graffiti.
There will be no crayoned smiley faces on the walls, 
no names scrawled in furniture dust,
no pictures fingered on steamy windows,
and no initials etched in bars of soap.

Someday, when the kids are grown up,
I’ll get through a whole chapter of an engrossing book
without being interrupted to sew a nose on a teddy bear,
stop a toddler from eating the dog food,
or rescue the cat from the toy box.

Someday, when the kids are grown up,
I won’t find brown apple cores under the beds, 
empty rolls on the toilet paper hanger,
or fuzzy catepillars in denim jeans.
And I will be able to find a pencil in the desk drawer,
a slice of leftover cake in the fridge,
and the comics still in the centre of the newspaper.

Someday, when the kids are grown up,
I’ll breeze right past the sweet display in the supermarket
without having to fumble for pennies;
I’ll stroll freely down each aisle without fear
of inadvertently passing the music or toy sections;
and I’ll choose cereal without considering what noise it makes,
what prize it contains or what colour it comes in.

Someday, when the kids are grown up,
I’ll prepare Quiche Lorraine, or Scallops Amandine,
or just plain liver and onions, and no one will say,
“Yuk! I wish we were having hot dogs!” or,
“Jimmy’s lucky, his mum lets him eat chocolate bars for dinner”.
And we’ll eat by candlelight,
with on one trying to roast their peas and carrots over the flame
to “make them taste better”, or
arguing about who gets to blow out the candle when we’ve finished.

Someday, when the kids are grown up,
I’ll get ready for my bath without first having to removef scuba-diving action figures, 
sharks and plastic mermaids.

I’ll luxuriate in hot, steamy water and billows of bubbles
for a whole hour,
and no fists will pound on the door;
no small voices will yell,” Hurry up, Mummy! I’ve got to go!”

Yes, someday, when the kids are grown up, life will be different.
They’ll leave our nest, and the house will be
Quiet and calm …
Empty and lonely…
And I won’t like that at all!

And then I’ll spend my time, not looking forward to 
someday, but looking back at yesterday.

Don’t brag about tomorrow, since you don’t know what the day will bring. ~ The Bible, Proverbs 27:1