Mom to Mom

I was on the subway the other day, riding alone = sans child, and noticed a woman struggling to get on with a huge stroller (like one of those super duper jogging strollers) and a gigantic suitcase. Lucky for her, someone (another mom) grabbed her suitcase and helped her get on the subway. She said thank you to the other mom and sighed. She looked tired, worn, beat. I empathized with her. She stretched her back backwards a few times, as if she was in a bit of pain. I'm sure pushing the ginormous stroller and suitcase through the subway station that morning was a pretty intense workout for her, for anyone. After stretching a couple more times, she reached over to the front of the stroller and said to her little girl (probably 1.5 years old), "Give mommy the keys sweetie." The little girl was playing with what appeared to be her house keys. The little girl said no, and pulled the keys further away from her mother's reach. The woman sighed and retreated behind the stroller. She looked up, defeated. I smiled empathetically. I have been there. As the subway approached the next stop the woman stood up taller and tried to gather her belongings. She struggled to push the stroller forward, while wheeling the suitcase from behind her. It was then that I noticed the big, gleaming rock on her left ring finger and paused. Any instinct to "feel sorry" for her evaporated. Yes, I empathized with her. But I didn't need to feel sorry for her.