Almost Got Wet

 "One day, you'll know exactly how I feel. When you kiss your youngest child before he steps on the bus to enter his first day of school, you'll remember this day. Perhaps my words will ring in your ears, ‘This is a big day. My youngest boy is starting junior high school - and I'm not old.' And maybe you will smile because you were thinking I was old." I explained it all to my 11 year-old son who sat at the bar dunking his cookies in a glass of milk like it was just another day. But, he looked at me as if he "got it". And he smiled at me. I know he was thinking I was old.

    One of the worst things about getting old is that the days grow shorter. It's not enough that every time I look into the mirror another wrinkle appears or another gray patch of hair shows up. Now every time I look at the clock the hands are spinning faster. Wait, I guess that's the second hand moving. My eyes are getting worse. Okay, so now every year I need new glasses to keep up with my aging eyes.

    For crying out loud, I'm acting as though I'm old! And like the first day of a new school year, this 25^th day of the month of August 2008, is about me. Yikes! How on earth did I let myself get so self-centered?

Wow, that was scary - getting pummeled by a random cloudburst of fake reality. I might have a few gray hairs, fortyish wrinkles, a creaking back and puffy eyes (only in the morning), but I still know to come in out of the rain. Now where was I?