An introduction

Whenever someone who knows me needs something little - a Bandaid, a paper clip, a Kleenex, a pair of ear plugs, an extra scarf, a safety pin, a Leatherman, a wetnap, a bobbypin or ponytail holder, a button with needle and thread - I am the one they turn to because I have been known to carry all of those things and more on my person. I was a nanny, which is one level of preparedness beyond boyscout. With a lifetime of being the one people turn to, I still find myself leaving the house without my coat but don't realize it until I arrive at the location where I intend to hike. I feel, in so many ways, that despite overpreparing, I end up feeling like I should have done or brought or learned something more. Specifically, I have found myself saying, "why didn't someone tell me _________  before I became....a college student, a grad school student, pregnant, a mom, a teacher." The truth is, someone probably did, but I wasn't ready yet so I didn't know how to listen. So many of my friends talk about this same feeling. They want to provide information from their life experience for future teachers, moms, pregnant women, etc.
I write as a way of processing my experiences, a therapy of sorts. I don't really think anyone will listen to what I have to say here because I wouldn't have listened or I would have listened, but I wouldn't have had the right ears to hear what I needed to know. I do think that other people who have had similar experiences or else won't ever be in a position to need to hear my stories might enjoy reading them all the same. It is vain. I tell myself that I am going to write for me, but I am a performer and must admit that I don't want to be the only person in my audience.