Early Rising
The kids are up. The mom is up. The grandpa is up. I think our children are sleep deprived. They all got two days off because the Pasadena schools were closed after the recent tornado tore through town roughing things up. My daughter works there, the kids go there. But all is well, and things are ticking back into action. Coffee is brewed. Children are getting dressed. We hope. And shortly they’ll all be off, and I’ll be on my own for a while.
I think I’ll do a little shopping today. It’s amazing to be in an area where so many stores are just a hop, skip, and a jump away. Back home I have to mount an expedition. This afternoon it will be off to my alma mater to watch the granddaughter further her track career. It will be a long day. She’s slotted to run in the 4X400, which is the last race of the meet. No worries. When my daughter swam in high school, she swam the breaststroke. One of the last races of the meet. So, I’m experienced at long waits.
My daughter and I had planned to play guitars while I was here, but it occurred to me that last night that guitar and a thumping bass, her instrument, might not be the ticket when the kids had just gone to bed and they had to get up early. So, we deferred the jam to another day, another time. To bad. But sometimes you can’t always have what you want, when you want it, and you have to wait. Good lesson to learn or remember at any age.
John W. Wilson is the author of The Long Goodbye: A Caregiver's Tale