Lifebomb or #Lifebomb...depending.

Yesterday, while spending a fun evening with two of my favorite friends, a new term was coined. Allow me to introduce to you, the phrase "Lifebomb" (or "hashtag lifebomb" if you are so inclined to speak your hashtags). What is a lifebomb? A lifebomb is awesome. Don't let the word bomb scare you in this particular case, although I still encourage a healthy fear of that word in pretty much all other scenarios. A lifebomb is a photobomb's distant cousin.

Photobombs are famous, or infamous, perhaps. Someone jumps in behind your photo and you don't know they are there, but when you look at the picture you see that they have crept in. They have become an unexpected part of your picture. Well, a life bomb happens in the same way as a photo bomb, but instead of someone becoming an unexpected part of your photo, they become an unexpected part of your experience. They are the people that you notice in life, and for some reason get added to your story. Normally, for me, it is because they were incredibly funny, but sometimes it's someone who is unexpectedly sad, or kind, or just stands out from the crowd.

I can't tell you how many times I have been out with a friend and we have done something ridiculous (usually completely accidentally) and we end up saying, "Well, now those people have a funny story to tell their friends about us". Every time that happens, someone got Lifebombed! One time my friend Jessica and I had been visiting a friend in the hospital upon the joyous birth of her son, and when we got on the elevator to leave she was talking about how familiar the hospital room seemed. A gentleman, a stranger to us, had been in the elevator when we got on, but we just carried on our conversation about who else she visited in that hospital that would make the room seem familiar. Eventually we realized it may have been me- when I had Trevor.

Neither of us remembered if she had come to visit me, but at the same time what kind of a person would she be if she hadn't come?...and so on and so forth. We would hear the guy chuckle every now and then. When he got off she was like, "I bet that was the best elevator ride he ever had. I bet he totally wishes he was our friend." Well, it was either that or he thought we were insane. But either way. #Lifebomb! We wrote ourselves into his day. Other people do it to us all the time too. How many times have you told a story that included something funny, sad, creepy, or amazing that you witnessed a total stranger doing? They are now a part of your story. They Life Bombed you! Today I was life bombed by two grown men on a Vespa. They were driving maybe 35 and they were kind of hunched over trying to get to max speed, and it made me laugh and think of Jim Carrey and Jeff Daniels in Dumb and Dumber. I was alone in my car, but I literally said, "Lifebomb".

Some great Lifebombs from yesterday's trip to Epcot are worthy of being shared here. One of my favorites was the guy and his (not petite) girlfriend standing in front of a topiary of Rafiki holding up Simba, the way they did in the Lion King movie when he was first born and they were presenting him to the animals. The guy was like, "Here, hold my stuff, and make sure you get Simba in the picture", and he proceeded to recreate that moment hoisting his girlfriend up over his head. His arms were shaking and he couldn't hold her for long, but they did it! It was awesome. #Lifebomb

Then we Lifebombed these older ladies sitting on a bench. See, we were on a mission to stop at the Nikon photo spots around the park and take a picture with the actual sign. Trust me, it was fun. Anyway, the photo spot sign in China was behind this bench occupied by the two ladies, so we walked around behind the bench and took a group selfie behind them. We were kind of, sort of, basically in their personal bubble. They turned around and watched the whole thing, complete with our standing in Epcot foliage which we think may be a felony. I think it was the most unexpected thing they had ever seen. #lifebomb. #yourewelcomeladies


On the way to the car at the end of the night there was a girl sitting in the MIDDLE of everyone walking. She seemed to be just sitting, texting or something. We all commented about how that was a strange place to stop and sit, and Jessica thought she should pretend to trip over the girl, but as we got closer, I heard some quiet sobs and saw an iPhone in more pieces than I have EVER seen. There were at least 6 separate pieces of phone surrounding her. I have seen a cracked screen before, but literal parts were just loose all over the ground. That was memorable, and made me so happy that I have a LifeProof case. #lifebomb

So, there you have it. I hope it catches on because in the less than 24 hours since we invented it, it has basically changed my life. Feel free to make it part of your life as well! I don't own the rights or anything, and you won't regret it.

Cell Phones and Kidnappers...A Mother's Day Reflection

I am too accessible to my kids, and I think it is probably true of my whole generation. When we were kids we had a healthy appreciation for the fact that Mom couldn't be at our beck and call, and what's more, that she didn't really want to be. I'm not sure that my own kids have that same healthy appreciation. (They have apologized before when I didn't "get to" make them breakfast. It seems they think my doing things for them is like my Oxygen). Why the difference from my generation to theirs? Maybe it was because when we were sent out to play it was with the instructions not to set foot back in the house before dark. Perhaps it was because when Mom and Dad would go out on a date, Dad would say, "Don't call unless it is an emergency." And Mom would follow that up with, "An emergency is blood,vomit, or a bone sticking out of the skin". We just knew that whatever Mom and Dad were doing during those times, they were better done without us. It sounds a bit harsh now, but the effect at the time was that we respected that our parents were people. Actual humans who existed apart from us.

Cell phones are partly to blame, for sure. I mean, we are pretty much within reach wherever we go thanks to them. Kids aren't used to the idea that if mom is at work, or driving, or in the grocery store, or out for the evening that she also not available for them. How many times have I heard, "Mom, I called and you DIDN'T ANSWER!", said in an accusing tone like I did something wrong? Too many to count. Apparently there is no place I can be when I am not also supposed to be completely within my children's reach. The result? I feel badly when I miss a call, and I cannot completely invest in wherever I am or who I am with because a little part of my brain is always aware that my kids might "need" me. A need that is usually not one at all.

I think I would be remiss to leave the kidnappers out of the blame game, and so I shall blame them a little bit too. I can't tell my kids to go play until dark like my parents used to do. I have to have my eyes on them all of the time to make sure they aren't being lured into the wood's to help find a lost puppy, only to never be seen again. While I know that this is for my kids' safety, I think to them it is just more proof that I don't like to do anything without them.

The truth? I do like to do things without my kids. I don't ever want to BE without them for long, but on a few special occasions I want to say to them, "We are going out.Don't cry.Don't call unless its an emergency involving blood, vomit, or a an exposed bone. Have fun with Nana and know that us being apart is just as important a part of you growing up as us being together is." I do say that, not quite as blatantly. We do spend time apart. I think I just feel a lot guiltier about it than my parents used to feel, and my kids hate it a lot more than I did. In their defense, they are still little, and in my defense, I really do just love being theirs more than anything else. Still, I have to do better to be officially of the grid when we are apart. For their sake, as well as my sanity.

Stupid cell phones and kidnappers.