"Is the doctor cute?"
"No. Well, she's a woman. Why?"
"Then just don't bother."
My daughter was only a few weeks old and I was still trying to master the basic functions of being a real person again. I was running late for my doctor's appointment and frantically hobbling around the house trying to pack the entire nursery into our diaper bag, for fear of forgetting something that we could not possibly live without in the 30 minutes away from the safe harbor of our home. I was on the phone with my cousin, Erica, who I regarded as having mastered parenthood with her four sons. As I was getting ready to step out the door, I realized I had not put on deodorant nor brushed my teeth. I was on the verge of tears because I only had time for one and not the other; I asked Erica what I should do. Her ingenious yet simple solution was a turning point for me in my quest to win at being a new mom. My priorities had shifted. Wildly. My new focus was on economy of time, energy, and not worrying so much about my presence in the outside world, unless it was absolutely certain that I would be meeting with a cute doctor.
