The kids are off to school. I just kissed my soon to be wife good bye as she left for work.
Goddammit.
My son left his lunch, homework, and one of his cross country shoes in the living room.
How do I know he left only one?
Well at first I didn’t. Who the hell forgets one shoe. I frantically looked around the house. I may have cussed at the dogs.
If you’re a dog lover chill out. I love my dogs too and I would never just scream at them. I use a cute sounding voice and I say irrational crazy things to them. They can’t tell the difference because they are dogs. Yes I should see a therapist, but the dogs are fine.
First bell rings at 8:45 a.m.
It is currently 8:43.
I Facetime my son.
He answers,
“sup”
He is 11. That’s how he talks. I just accept it at this point.
“Look in your backpack. Tell me what you see.”
I take my earbuds out because the ruffling sounds are peaking the audio and I don’t want to cuss at the dogs again.
“I have all of my stuff. My chromebook. Oh I don’t have my lunch. I also only have one shoe.”
I tell him he isn’t allowed to have his phone any more in the morning. He has to make a comprehensive to-do list, complete said list, show me proof in the morning, and then he can get his phone. I hang up.
I drive to the school. I drive back.
The dogs. I forgot to take them for a walk. Everyone in my house poops at the same time. It’s a weird thing you learn about people that you dwell with.
The dogs, well they go at the time when I happened to be driving to the school. I got lucky, kind of. Only one of them pooped. It was the smaller one. This used to be more of a regular habit of his.
I said in my sweetest, deceiving dog voice,
“who’s a terrible little cutie… you are”
He wags his tale. He comes up to kiss me as I clean up his pile of shit.
“You know, this is one of the last times I am ever going to clean up a pile of your poo.” I said this because I have a dark sense of humor and statistically I am going to outlive this little dude.
That is the moment my life changed. They say a person lives two lives,
“Everyone lives two lives, the second one starts when you realize you only have one.” — I don’t know who said this, leave a comment if you do
Now if I am frustrated with something I remind myself it is one of the last times I have to do it. If I’m with my family, it’s one of the last times and if I’m in a bad mood this usually pulls me back into the moment.
I hope you get the point. I’m sure you do. If not, well… this is one of the points you’re missing as they smack you in the face.
