I don’t pay much attention to holidays. I also don’t pay a lot of attention to things like birthdays – especially my own. This year seems a bit strange though. As luck would have it, I found myself alone with our two cats for Father’s Day. Our children are grown and out on their own – our daughter in the Boston area and our son in the Chicago area. And Penny, my wife, was at our daughter’s home to help with our grandson. Left to our own devices, the cats and I have been “doing our thing.”
For me, that meant meetings and work created by those meetings and getting out the monthly newsletter, far later in the month than I wanted it to be. But it’s all fun. Leading up to Father’s Day were a whole bunch of events that are not at all usual in our world. First, I got roped into running a marathon, which, despite my complaining about the training, was a fun time. The race itself was June 2nd and all the training leading up to the race consumed many hours which meant that my usual “catch up on the weekend” routine was scrapped for several months prior to June 2nd. So lot’s of work backed up.
And then, again, uncharacteristically, I won a raffle last summer. Penny sings in a Community Chorale and the raffle was a fund raiser for them. The winner could choose from several prizes and Penny chose to spend a weekend in New York City. Airfare, hotel, play and a generous gift certificate to a very nice restaurant were provided. The weekend was, of course, last weekend – right after the race. And why go all the way to New York City and not continue on to the Boston area to see our grandson? For Penny, it was a must, but for me, well . . . too much work and meetings that have been scheduled for over a year. So Penny went to Boston and I came back home. Peace and quiet. A chance to decompress and it’s just what I need. No TV. No music. Just quiet. Susan Cain has it right.
Thus, this unusual Father’s Day. My own father is in a physical rehabilitation facility in the Nashville, TN, area. He’s not doing well. I did get to speak with him, by phone, for all of about four minutes before he got too tired and handed the phone back to my sister. My thoughts are that this is the last Father’s Day we’ll have him with us. Ah, that circle of life!
So this Father’s Day weekend, I spent recovering my energy from being with way too many people. New York City is fun to visit, but I can’t take too much of it. A couple hours is fine. But two full days is too much for me. So I’ve pretty much gone through the week doing what needed doing and then spending this weekend doing the chores around home or sitting in front of this computer getting e-mails, newsletters, and blog posts done. I hope that Penny will notice that while she was gone, I had all the windows cleaned (contractor, not me!), I washed all the floors, did all the laundry including changing our bed linen, did the grocery shopping – being sure to get her coffee cream – fixed her bathroom sink, cleaned the kitchen and totally spoiled our cats.
The picture? I just didn’t want you to think I am all work and no play. Not only did I win the fund raising raffle, but I also won the drawing for this very cool Quad-Copter radio controlled airplane. Hey, it’s for ages 14 and up, so I qualify. I won this little sweetie last month at an event hosted by Akins IT and a couple of their vendors. Participants were invited to join in for soft drinks, snacks, a small presentation from the sponsors and then view the new StarTrek movie. So, the point? Well, I was not able to even open the box before the race and our NYC trip. I made it a point to do that today, Father’s Day, and had a fun time learning how to make this thing fly. When Isaac comes to visit, he and Grampy can have a fun time flying the helicopter. The west coast grandparents have Disney, Universal, Sea World, Lego Land, Knott’s Berry Farm and now, a cool Helicopter. What more could there be to attract a visit from your grandson?
A very different and very pleasant Father’s Day indeed. And now, for the last chore; I will jump in my car and drive the hour up to LAX (Los Angeles International Airport) to pick up my bride and joy who comes in at 9:30 pm. A father’s work is never done!