Sunday was a screw-up day. Long story short, we made an hour-and a-half drive there and back to go to an event that had been moved to Saturday, only I didn’t notice it in the emails. They also changed the time, which I DID notice.

No one was very happy with me, least of all me.

On the way home, we pulled in at Blanche and Bill’s Pancake House (near Killington). I’ve always wanted to stop there, so it seemed like a silver lining. It’s a tiny place, maybe 12 tables, and, as they make a point of emphasizing, all the food is made to order! so it may be slow! but it will be good!

It was, on all counts (but not too slow). Ours were the only kids in there at that moment, and they behaved decently, once Lily decided to get past the mistake I’d made and enjoy her meal. Someone brought crayons. The waitress repeatedly checked in to make sure we were all good, that we were ok with what our kids ordered (Sam: 4 chocolate chip pancakes. Rory and Lily: waffles with ice cream and hot chocolate with whipped cream.) They were lovely. Everyone was lovely.

As we left, I thought, wow, they’re just really nice to kids in there!

And kind of idly went back over it all in the car, wondering if there had been any special reason for them to be nice to us and…oh, yeah.

This may be wrong of me, but generally, when we’re out, if people stare a little longer than usual, or compliment us on our lovely family or whatnot, I put it down to the desire to show support for being an adoptive family, even if they don’t directly say so. Lots of times these things come with a little comment (she’s so adorable! etc.). It doesn’t bother me at all, in fact, if you want to just go right ahead and assume the best about my family before they’ve proven you wrong, you do it! Maybe the whole adoption halo will encourage people to give us the benefit of the doubt when we are not quite so lovely.

But today I just forgot all about it. I wasn’t thinking about adoption, wasn’t thinking about anything along those lines at all, just thought oh, they were really unusually nice for a family with a pack of kids in a small restaurant in a tourist-y spot. And they were. And I don’t know if that had anything to do with Rory, or adoption, or if they were just really lovely. And I don’t care.

I’m just glad to note that there I was, just not thinking about it at all, and sadly, I think that’s been kind of rare. I think I think about adoption a lot. Or I think I think that I did. And now, I think maybe that I do not, so much. Except of course that now it will be like trying not to think about elephants for a day or two.

And then it will pass, and I just won’t think about it. Really. I can see it coming. A day when someone will be super-nice to us and not only will I not think about it at the time, but I won’t think about it after, either. I just won’t notice. And that will be a good day, even though I obviously won’t be able to note it at the time.