Thanks but no thanks

I'm at Panera right now, taking advantage of their bottomless coffee mugs and free WiFi. I didn't exactly want to be here, but work brought me here as I just ran out of time this morning.

Seriously, I didn't want to be here. I'd rather be at the gym, but such is life when you have a hectic schedule as I do, one that changes from day to day, hour by hour sometimes.

On my way here I saw a jogger. He was running slowly along the side of the road, iPod on arm, earplugs in ear, blissfully unaware of anything except for the pavement before him and probably the song going through his ear.

I wanted to be him. I wanted to be out there on the side of the road, forgetting about the cars whizzing by, focusing on myself. Just me, The Polar and The Garmin.

Sigh.

That's one of the many things I've seen this morning but the only one that made me long for something.

What are some of the things I saw that I wanted no part of?

* Babies. I've seen a handful of one-year-olds and, uh, zero-year-olds, some in strollers, some in their mothers' arms. I shuddered secretly as I walked past. Don't get me wrong, I love my daughters to death but man am I glad we aren't having any more children. Babies are so much work and to think that we've already given up bottles, formula, diapers, pacifiers, diaper bags, strollers... and to have to go back to that... I'd cry. Luckily the factory shut down :)

* Teachers. Actually, there is some sort of high school group here at Panera. There are some adults in the group, which leads me to believe that those are their teachers. I am so glad that I am not in their shoes. I thought I wanted to be a teacher but I was terrible at it. I much prefer my career now.

* Shirts and ties. Some business people here, stopping by to get a cup of Joe or something. I'm glad I don't have to punch a time card somewhere or work in an office or some other 8-to-5 job. Nothing wrong with that of course but it just does not fit my personality and my lifestyle. Not that I wouldn't do it if I had to of course, but I'd be miserable if I ever had to go back to working a set schedule.

* Cinnamon rolls. I've seen a few of them here at Panera and they didn't make my mouth water in the least. I'm sure they have several hundred calories a pop, and I really don't need that. Especially when I had to my workout this morning. Funny thing too was that one person who had a cinnamon roll was a really skinny girl. Probably one of those people who can eat whatever they want and not worry about gaining weight.