A beautiful day for a walk.

While my job boasts no health benefits, has an annual salary that won't even qualify me for a Macy's credit card and reduces my wardrobe to those items that can be wiped clean with a damp cloth, there are perks to being a nanny.

First of all, when the sky is blue and the sun is shining and there's a light breeze, I get paid to go walking around outside. While you cubicle drones (I have legitimate hopes to be one of you one day) are working on your spreadsheets (checking Facebook) and sitting in your business meetings (playing Words With Friends on your smart phone) and smelling the popcorn someone burned in the workroom 4 days ago (it was you), I get to slather on some SPF bajillion, pop a kid (or three) in a stroller and just walk.

Four out of five doctors agree that this is awesome.

Top five things that have happened on these walks:

1. While still chilly outside, Wes left the house with two socks on and returned with only one. All I can assume is that he kicked it off in a fit of joy. Why is this memorable? Have you ever seen a sad baby sock by the side of the road and had terrible images from 'Baby's Day Out' or war-torn Russia flash across your mind? Well I have, and I can finally breathe a sigh of relief in knowing that it wasn't a case of an overly ambitious toddler, just a ill-fitting sock.
2. The triplets always attract attention, but it still surprises me how people think they're due permission to gawk and make whatever comments manage to make the journey from their brain to their mouth. One time in particular, an older gentleman drove by slowly as we were walking down the street and stopped his car completely when he was just past us. He rolled down his window and said, "I had to make sure they were real and not dolls!" like he was brilliant for checking my cargo before making an assumption that I was just playing house. I was able to shrug my shoulders and make a noise that amounted to a combination of "well yeah" and "it happens" before he rolled up his window and drove on. Note to self: when off-duty, start pushing dolls around in a stroller.
3. The other day, a woman in a bike helmet trimming bushes by the side of the path said, "Good morning, Carol!" The stroller/child didn't pay an important roll in this interaction, except as a shield from this bicycling landscaper.
4. On another outing with the triplets, we came across an older Indian woman sitting on the wall that lines the walking path. When she saw me coming, she got down and peered in the stroller. After taking in the triplets, she looked to me and just said, "Can I give you a hug?" Taken aback, and never one to turn down a free hug, I took her up on her offer. After our impromptu hug, she looked at me and said, "You're a great mother." She asked the kids names, and I told her, and she said they look beautiful and healthy and then just hopped back on that wall and we continued our walk. Usually, I'll correct someone and tell them I'm not the mom, just the nanny, but strangers don't usually lead with a hug. (In hindsight, I probably shouldn't be hugging strangers.) Later, I relayed the compliments, and the hug, to the REAL mother, telling her she must be doing something right.
5. I have developed a wicked awesome shorts/sock tan. Like, my thighs don't even know it's summer.

The second point I'd like to make on my 'Perks of Being a Nanny' check list is that I never have to take work home with me...because that's kidnapping...and that's frowned upon.

The third point on my list is a little sentimental. Have you ever been around a toddler when they are belly laughing at their hand? Or giggling at a pinwheel? Or smiling when you come in the room? It's a good feeling.

Also, when someone at my job falls asleep on my shoulder, it's adorable. When someone at your job falls asleep on your shoulder, there's reason to be alarmed or concerned.

So, there you have it. At the end of the day, theses are the things I tell myself to keep from clutching my college degree and sobbing.