In Homage to My First Direct-Deposit Paycheck

Things I No Longer Do Now That I Am Working Full-Time:
- Rearrange the furniture/think incessantly about living-space optimization.
- Re-fold the clothes in Elan and Ariel's drawers.
- Buy "necessities," such as storage bins, as an excuse to go outside.
- Exercise.
- Eat balanced meals.
- Call people back on the same day.
- Clear surfaces.
- Yell.
- Hurry.
- Shlep.
- Cut down on caffeine.
- Get easily irritated with my kids.
- Panic in traffic.
- Complain.

Things I Still Do:
- Wake up several times most nights.
- Make breakfast, lunch and dinner for the boys in my life.
- Experience out-of-body exhaustion.
- Say terrible things about the housekeeper each Wednesday night, after she's left.

Things I Do Now That I Never Did Before:
- Set my coffeemaker each night to start automatically the next morning.
- Eat breakfast.
- Listen to Norah Jones and deep-breathe in traffic.
- Play with dinosaurs and Legos for hours on end.


Things That I Do Now More Than Ever:
- Hug, kiss, cuddle, squeeze, pinch, and nibble on my children at every possible waking opportunity.
- Appreciate my husband.
- Appreciate my mother.