Losing It

Posted October 26, 2014 by Alison Mitchell

Well, I lost it.

I thought I was doing a pretty great job at keeping it all together.  School, kids, work, check.  House, parents, in-laws, friends with issues, got it.  Crazy scheduling? Husband travelling? Bring it on.

Until I lost my notebook.

My 415 notebook.

My 415 notebook for the class taught by Candy Schwartz, the legendary SLIS professor.

Not good.

I think I lost the notebook sometime last Friday, when I met three classmates to work on a group project.  My kids didn’t have school that day, so I brought them with me — and they were really well behaved, but still, I was a little distracted, trying to focus on the group work but also make sure my children didn’t wreak havoc in the Harvard Coop or Cambridge Public Library, the two places the group met.

It seemed to go so well.  But today, when I sat down to finish one of Candy’s never-ending-quite-challenging-yet-interesting assignments, I couldn’t find my notebook.  I called the library and the Coop, and it wasn’t in lost and found at either place.  I searched the car and the living room and behind my desk.  I tried to blame someone, but there was no one to blame and anyway, blaming someone wouldn’t get my notebook back.

I admit I cried a little.

I think it’s gone.

Eventually, I pulled myself together and worked on the assignment using the PowerPoint slides from class, and I was able to do the work just fine.  Then I emailed my small group and two of my lovely classmates offered to share notes with me (thanks, Vicki and Anna!).  I started to feel that I might survive losing the notebook.

But it’s making me rethink the whole “I’ve got this under control” thing.  Maybe I shouldn’t have brought the kids to the group project meeting.  Maybe I should admit that having kids and going to school and working is a balancing act that doesn’t always balance out right.  Maybe I should take a few extra minutes to make sure I have my wits — and my stuff — about me when I leave a building.  Slow down.  Take a deep breath.  Double check. 

I think I can.