Life has been hectic. We've been running around in circles here at Casa de Chaos; Paula's either in school or teaching it; the kids have projects and homework and field trips (well, Kevin does) and visits and soccer; and I spend most of my time trying to make enough money to pay for it all (a losing battle. let me tell you) with occasional glimpses at blue sky.

Like Saturday, when Jonah and the boys of Brood X won their first game this season, 5 to 1. It was a Red Sox-size miracle; the drought was over, after one goal all season (on a penalty kick). The kids were playing position, passing, it all came together. I wish I could take credit for it, but I think a lion's share of the credit goes to my assistant coach–I think his screaming got through to places my earnestness did not.

And like Friday night when Paula, Zoë and I went to have dinner at the Golden West, and ran into some fellow Baltimore bloggers (seadragon and lostgirl). (And seadragon apparently was concerned that she'd overstayed her welcome…believe me, T., you didn't; otherwise we wouldn't have come into the bar looking to say goodbye. Zoë is our built-in timer for such things).

And then a house concert Saturday at another blogger's house that Paula had gotten us into, with Zoe. It was mellow. It was a good crowd. It was…time to take a few breaths before dashing off again somewhere else.

I spent so much of the first stretch of my life trying to reach something, or working to get somewhere. It's hitting me now; it'll always be this way. There will always be something to work to; there will never be room to coast. And that's fine–because the things that matter are those occasional patches of calm along the way that let you enjoy the trip to whatever you're working on next.