half mile further. I thought we would head there."
For me, that's already a three-quarter mile walk to the gas station, and another two and a half to eat, for another three and a quarter mile walk home. I'm too new at this for an over six-mile walk today. My body is much too inactive for this.
"Don't worry. I'll drive you home after lunch," Jay responds, sensing my uneasiness.
"Okay," I agree. "Sounds great."
We keep walking, and my body welcomes the movement. I'm actually doing something. I love taking some control in my life. I especially love I'm setting goals for myself. I love James more than anything, but the past few years my attention has been one-hundred percent devoted to him. I never do anything just for me . My mom often tells me I should, and so does Amber, but I always feel guilty. I'm not being a horrible parent leaving James with my mom so I can go on a date, right? I don't think I am. I hope I'm not, anyway. Does taking time for myself label me as a bad mom? Am I being selfish? I can't think about this now.
"How long have you been a doctor?" I start the conversation, figuring work is a simple enough topic. "You can't be much over thirty."
He laughs. "Thanks. Actually, I'm thirty-two."
Okay, so an older man. Not by much, but more mature and as a doctor, has his head on straight. "Thirty-two is fine. Better than nineteen and Doogie Howser, M.D."
"Do you have a problem with Doogie Howser?"
"No!" I react as though Neil Patrick Harris is my best friend or something. Wouldn't that be fun, though? "I meant I wouldn't want to be on a date with a nineteen-year-old."
"That's good because I would question your judgment if you did." He keeps walking. "Anyway, I've been a full-fledged doctor about two years now. I did my fellowship at the hospital and lucky for me, they offered me a full-time job. But, I decided it's time to move on."
"Oh? How so?"
"A fellow doctor and I are planning on opening our own practice."
"Really? That's incredible." Thirty-two and starting his own business. My little scrapbooking adventure is puny compared to this. I'm scared to take steps forward to continue making tiny kits for others to enjoy, and here he is creating a business from scratch, and saving lives in the meantime.
"I love working at the hospital, but I would much prefer a less fast-paced environment. We're planning on opening a general practice office. This way, too, I can work more normal hours. I'm too young to already be burning out."
A city bus roars by, and we stop talking for a moment. How do I compete with this? "You're ambitious. I don't do anything life saving or anything."
"What do you do?"
The million dollar question. How do I tell this doctor, with at least ten years of school under his belt, I don't even have a degree and I sit at a desk all day. Of course, then he'll understand my weight a little better. "I'm in finance. I work with mortgages."
"Work with them how?"
"I assist in getting people approved for mortgages."
"Really? That sounds .... boring." He chuckles, and I want him to keep going. His laugh is warm and inviting.
"It is." Some may find his remark offensive, but I don't. His description of my job is perfect. "I enter numbers in the computer and it spits an answer back at me. A monkey can do it. I hate it. It's a job though. Although there are days I want to tell my boss where to shove it."
"Who doesn't? But, that's a great way to get fired."
"Yeah. My friend got fired for mouthing off at an old job. I can't afford to lose my job. I have to take care of .... " I trail off, grasping for ways to finish the sentence.
"Of what?"
I can't tell him about James yet. Yes, James is a part of me and any guy I'm involved with will be a part of his life, too, but it's our first date. I don't need to be dropping the single mother bomb on him so soon. I'll tell him on our next date, if he wants to go out again. He's so sweet, but I want him to get to know Chelsea The Woman before introducing
For me, that's already a three-quarter mile walk to the gas station, and another two and a half to eat, for another three and a quarter mile walk home. I'm too new at this for an over six-mile walk today. My body is much too inactive for this.
"Don't worry. I'll drive you home after lunch," Jay responds, sensing my uneasiness.
"Okay," I agree. "Sounds great."
We keep walking, and my body welcomes the movement. I'm actually doing something. I love taking some control in my life. I especially love I'm setting goals for myself. I love James more than anything, but the past few years my attention has been one-hundred percent devoted to him. I never do anything just for me . My mom often tells me I should, and so does Amber, but I always feel guilty. I'm not being a horrible parent leaving James with my mom so I can go on a date, right? I don't think I am. I hope I'm not, anyway. Does taking time for myself label me as a bad mom? Am I being selfish? I can't think about this now.
"How long have you been a doctor?" I start the conversation, figuring work is a simple enough topic. "You can't be much over thirty."
He laughs. "Thanks. Actually, I'm thirty-two."
Okay, so an older man. Not by much, but more mature and as a doctor, has his head on straight. "Thirty-two is fine. Better than nineteen and Doogie Howser, M.D."
"Do you have a problem with Doogie Howser?"
"No!" I react as though Neil Patrick Harris is my best friend or something. Wouldn't that be fun, though? "I meant I wouldn't want to be on a date with a nineteen-year-old."
"That's good because I would question your judgment if you did." He keeps walking. "Anyway, I've been a full-fledged doctor about two years now. I did my fellowship at the hospital and lucky for me, they offered me a full-time job. But, I decided it's time to move on."
"Oh? How so?"
"A fellow doctor and I are planning on opening our own practice."
"Really? That's incredible." Thirty-two and starting his own business. My little scrapbooking adventure is puny compared to this. I'm scared to take steps forward to continue making tiny kits for others to enjoy, and here he is creating a business from scratch, and saving lives in the meantime.
"I love working at the hospital, but I would much prefer a less fast-paced environment. We're planning on opening a general practice office. This way, too, I can work more normal hours. I'm too young to already be burning out."
A city bus roars by, and we stop talking for a moment. How do I compete with this? "You're ambitious. I don't do anything life saving or anything."
"What do you do?"
The million dollar question. How do I tell this doctor, with at least ten years of school under his belt, I don't even have a degree and I sit at a desk all day. Of course, then he'll understand my weight a little better. "I'm in finance. I work with mortgages."
"Work with them how?"
"I assist in getting people approved for mortgages."
"Really? That sounds .... boring." He chuckles, and I want him to keep going. His laugh is warm and inviting.
"It is." Some may find his remark offensive, but I don't. His description of my job is perfect. "I enter numbers in the computer and it spits an answer back at me. A monkey can do it. I hate it. It's a job though. Although there are days I want to tell my boss where to shove it."
"Who doesn't? But, that's a great way to get fired."
"Yeah. My friend got fired for mouthing off at an old job. I can't afford to lose my job. I have to take care of .... " I trail off, grasping for ways to finish the sentence.
"Of what?"
I can't tell him about James yet. Yes, James is a part of me and any guy I'm involved with will be a part of his life, too, but it's our first date. I don't need to be dropping the single mother bomb on him so soon. I'll tell him on our next date, if he wants to go out again. He's so sweet, but I want him to get to know Chelsea The Woman before introducing
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