Hats

so many hats perched
precariously - sometimes
i wish they would fall.

When I was younger I never understood what people meant when they said they wore so many different hats. I thought it literally meant different hats - like baseball hats, or stocking hats, or top hats. When I read the phrase in books I pictured someone with a teetering tower of hats on top of their head. When I finally realized what "wearing different hats" meant, I thought it was a really neat way of describing yourself.

For some reason, this winter has seemed especially long. I am very tired of actual winter hats (and gloves, and coats, and scarves). As I was dressing the kids for yet another trip to the pediatrician's office (Janna's got another ear infection), I started thinking about hats. My hats. Not my literal hats, but my figurative ones. Already sitting on my head are the permanent hats: the "Daughter", "Sister", "Wife", "Mother", and "Friend" hats. Each hat has a different set of expectations and rules. Added to those are the smaller hats - the ones that are offshoots of the permanent hats. They change with the days. While they aren't always are "on", they are in pretty heavy rotation. Hats like the "Chauffeur", "Nurse", "Athletic Coordinator", "Teacher", "Librarian", "Chef", "Maid", "Photographer", "Arts & Crafts Guru", "Veterinarian", "Secretary", and "Historian". Sure there are other hats, but these are the ones that seem to get the most use.

Everyone wears hats. Every single one of us is wearing a wobbly pillar of hats right now. While I am proud to be the owner of such a wide variety of them, I sometimes wish they would all fall off for just 1 minute.