How did I get here?

Can you name the band that goes with these lyrics?

"And you may find yourself
in another part of the world
And you may find yourself
behind the wheel of a large automobile
And you may find yourself
in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife
And you may ask yourself
-well...how did I get here?"

Is that dating us (you? me!) I've been wondering lately, does anyone else ever wake up and think "how did I get here?" Some days it seems surreal that I've got kids, a house, a spouse, cars and more... That I'm dealing with school lunches, budgets, yard debris and teachers that are sometimes great and sometimes maybe not so much and what exactly to do about that. ... that frankly I'm not just somebody's Mom but two somebodies!

Even when I fully own my mamahood lately, when I'm deep in the midst of enjoying a bike ride and soccer ball kicking around the block in the rain, being the bed monster, reading a favorite book just one more time, I find myself wondering how did (we) get here - meaning our country, our world. It is a definitive shock to realize you (meaning me) are more scared about what your own leaders may do before the upcoming election than you are of the multiple other threats that linger in our world these days.

I sometimes wonder what it might have been like to be a parent during the 50's or 70's, maybe even the 60's (I would have thought that era would have been tough and scary but if it was, my mother isn't letting on). Can any one of us imagine what is might have been like to not worry about too much fat or sugar in our children's diets, to not have to be concerned whether or not they were getting enough exercise, not have to worry about viral marketing directed toward our kids, consumerism run amok, our own government not acting in any semblance of what's in the best interests of the tiny people we nurture each and every day from the moment we knew they were growing inside us. I wish the Great Turning had already turned in many ways (although I really need to work on my gardening skills first). I wish I could see the future and find some comfort there.

I know that what I can do is be the best mama I know how to be, work on improving every day, focus close to home, do what I can and love the heck out of my little people.

How did we get here - indeed. And where are we going?