Out of the house

It finally happened!

I was able to leave the house and do something productive outside of my child-rearing duties.Feeling comfy and at home in my suit jacket and high heels, I made my way to the Chamber of Commerce. Pretty dry stuff, but I loved it.

In my life before children, I was at home making small talk in the waiting room of a governmental/organizational/business office. Recently, making small talk has been about as easy as rocket science.

For example, today I met a woman at the playground with three children and one on the way. What the hell do we have to talk about.

Example… How old are your children? Do you live near here? Where does your husband work?

Example of what I want to say… How can we start a campaign to ban the minivan? Isn’t there a way to get a grocery downtown so we don’t have to drive five miles for a loaf of bread? Let’s start a babysitting co-op. Can you believe Britney is pregant again!!

But alas, I am a worker bee. I’d gladly take an idea from another, more dynamic housewife and run with it, but I lack the vision, or at the very least the confidence, to start these things on my own.

Which brings me back to the waiting room the Chamber’s downtown office.

I’m chatting with some other women there who are organizing a forum for the League of Women Voters. There project about educating the public on judicial elections is ambitious and interesting.

Later, as fate would have it, I run into them downtown as I grab a coffee made at Coffee Hound, which employs an award-winning barista by the way. They get my address and tell me I’ll get on their mailing list for the next membership drive this fall.

Yes. This is what I call networking.