Four Words of Annoyance

There are so many voices out there now. Yes, that is a good thing, in some respects. Of course, if everyone talks at the same time it can mean that no one is listening. Maybe one day we can get it all to work better than we do now.

Even with all that, our nine-year-old can do some talking. When she finds focus, she can tell a good yarn. We love to hear her retell something she finds funny as we sit together at our table each night for supper. Sometimes she surprises us by using words we think are a bit bigger than we thought her vocabulary to be. Maybe, at times, she uses some words without really knowing the meaning of the word. I can live with that. I know plenty of adults who do the same.

We have noticed this talky aspect of her personality comes with one annoyance. No, the voice she uses to tell us things is fine. It is the voice of an angel to us. It isn’t when she gets excited telling the story and leaves out a part by accident. We find that endearing.

The annoyance is the phrase “I beg to differ”. This comes about daily. It comes about often. It could be something as simple, ahem, as third grade math. One of us could be explaining the concept of ‘less than, greater than or equal to’ to her in order to complete homework. The idea that if the numbers being looked at aren’t the same then the symbol to use to answer the question means the larger number points to the smaller number can be met with “I beg to differ”. Sometimes this manifests itself without the “I beg to differ” phrase but shows up in other ways just the same. She can ask a question. One of us can provide an answer. That answer is met with the declaration of another answer from her leaving us puzzled as to why she even asked if she already knew the answer.

It can be maddening to know every answer we supply to her has a high probability to be parried back at us with her favorite four word phrase, ‘I beg to differ’. It is tough in so many ways to raise a child in today’s world. It can be even tougher when the child you are trying to raise has a wide stubborn streak by default.

Some will say it will work itself out in time. They may even toss out the old ‘it takes a village’ mantra. Yes, I believe there are others in her life outside of me and her mom who matter now and will matter immeasurably in the future, but have you taken a long hard look at the village, y’all? Ain’t none of them going to love and care for her the way we do and will. So, we just add this to the list of things we work through as a family unit.

We try to locate the bright side in matters that can be difficult. We believe there is a silver lining in it all. As frustrating as this can be we thank God for her tenacity, as obstinate as we sometimes feel it is. After all, I know as she grows, she will be right in the middle of things tossing her voice into the fray along with everyone else who has been told whatever they say needs to be heard. I see a time when others will have her ear when it comes to so many other things. I like to think then when some suggestion with not the best motives comes up that mulishness rears it’s then pretty little head to say ‘I beg to differ’.

Finding Thanks

It is getting so late in the year we can almost stretch out our arms and pull the next year up to us close and tight. What a year this one has been, huh? After all, I never thought I would ever walk into a bank with a mask on but I did several times this year. It’s been one for the books, and one, many of us would just as soon forget. Still, it’s Thanksgiving, and the year ain’t over yet.

It seems as if the year could be encapsulated in a scene from an old Thanksgiving episode of WKRP in Cincinnati. You probably have seen it but I will cut to the chase, turkeys, when tossed out of a helicopter, cannot fly. Here, see for yourselves.

I don’t know but 2020 seems like we all were employees of WKRP. I suppose that is better than being one of the turkeys.

While we near the end of the year, I hope you take some time to laugh. It is good medicine. If you can, spend some time with family. Bonus points if you can share a meal with them. Put down your phone. Facebook can wait. Twitter is a cesspool. Don’t be distracted by the façade social media projects. Take some time to be quiet and just reflect. Breathe in, exhale.

I hope when you take some time that you find people and things for which you are thankful. They are there if you choose to look. By the way, being thankful is something you determine each day. If you cannot find anything to be grateful for, then do something good for someone else, so they can be grateful for you.

Happy Thanksgiving. God bless us all.

And now we thank you, our God, and praise your glorious name. ~1 Chronicles 29:13

Road Trip: College Visits

Writing about various road trips I have experienced through the years has been an interesting journey. Several of these trips came to memory easily. Sometimes though the memory of one or two of them creeps in that had nearly slipped away.

As I get older, I find myself growing more nostalgic about days gone by. Those days weren’t probably as good as memory revisits them now. Still, they sure seemed good.

While some of those memories remain vivid as if they happened just yesterday, some things about such memories aren’t quite as close by to recall. After all if something happened when I was seventeen years old, it is hard for my now much more older body to recall what things were like then.

In hindsight, high school days went by very fast. It seemed as if they were over about as quickly as they started. When they ended, some of us weren’t sure what to do next.

What I do recall is how when we were seniors, we were granted three days so we could visit colleges. Looking back, I did not take these days seriously. I mean, you tell me how you plan to give me three days I do not have to attend classes and all you need is written confirmation I went on a campus tour. Sign me up.

Memory is hazy now on recalling who went on these trips. I have a good idea who was on at least two of the trips. Our friendship coupled with the time from high school into adulthood and parenthood for all of us makes me not even try to name any of them here. The statute of limitations may not be up for some of them, too. You just do that for longtime friends.

One trip was to a technical school about 45 minutes away. I don’t recall much about the visit other than it was rather short. We looked at a few things then it was over. The second trip was to a nice private college a few hours away. This one took a bit longer. The campus personnel may have looked us over and decided we weren’t future students but if they did we still saw their dog-and-pony show. I remember being bowled over at the beauty of the campus. I even looked over the printed material they gave us several times after the trip. The final trip was to a large state university over two hours away. It seemed like a great town but all of us knew none of us would be going to school here either. We were back on the road soon enough.

I do not remember a lot of specifics about the actual ride to these places. We made it there then back safely. At this point, that is what matters. The memories I have of those trips is just being with my friends. I remember us joking with each other. I remember laughing with them. Good times. Better friends.

I am not sure I would go back to being seventeen years old again. Looking back I see how green I was then. I understand how unprepared in many ways I was for the years ahead. I do know the teenage years can be awkward and tough as you go through them. It might be nice to be the weight I was then. It might be good to feel younger. It might even be nice to experience that feeling of knowing how the future was still wide open then. I know it would be good to have one more ride with those friends. It just ended too soon. It always does.

Playlist for Road Trip: College Visits
The Rolling Stones "Start Me Up"
Earth, Wind & Fire "Let's Groove"
Frankie & The Knockouts "Sweetheart"
Bob Seger and the Silver Bullet Band "Betty Lou's Gettin' Out Tonight"
Pat Benetar "Hit Me With Your Best Shot"
Boz Scaggs "Miss Sun"
The Who "You Better You Bet"
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers with Stevie Nicks "Insider"
Kim Carnes "Bette Davis Eyes"
Journey "Who's Crying Now?"
Steve Winwood "While You See A Chance"
George Harrison "All Those Years Ago"