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| Ken: Age 4 |
The Set-up
Stormy day Saturdays are tricky times at the Corrigan-Conrad abode. Typically, our weekend days are filled with outdoor adventures: Ways to get us out of the house, to give Dad a kid-break, and to make sure we're exposed to people and places outside of our weekly routines. When the Saturday rains arrived last week, Mom made the executive decision to drive to the mall. Not just any mall -- the Mall of America. It's the mecca of brick and mortar shopping, a haven of boutiques, and a cacophony of strollers, handbags, tweens and toddlers. Amazing.
The Event
The Event
We parked in our usual secret spot: East side, street level, the state of Maine, aisle C. It's a quick skip from the van to the pedestrian path, and from the ped path to the little-used side door of Forever 21. Last weekend, it was my job to carry mom's favorite Dunn Bros covered-coffee-mug (today filled with an awesome juice blend, instead of coffee), while she and Sam pushed stroller-bound Georgia. We greeted a nice lady and her grand kid, sauntered past the checkout counters, and the coffee mug slipped out of my hands.
Boom. Crash. Kerplsploosh. Pick your onomatopoeia; I dropped it.
I was like the kid on A Christmas Story who drops the lug nuts all over the highway. Aw fudge. I think I actually said, "I dropped it." Sigh. The good news: The Forever-21 lady was cool about it; Mom remained calm, and no one was hurt. We stood next to the bright orange juice goop-mixed-with-black-and-white-glass shards, until the nice lady said she'd take it from there. "It looks like that was a nice mug," she said. Yes. Yes, it was.
The Reflection
What's a kid to do? I take comfort in the fact that it was a replaceable (???) coffee mug, and not something soul-binding, like the determination of a personal goal, the heart of a first love, or the hope of an innocent child. But for some, a favorite coffee mug ranks right up there, for its ability to be a vessel for a gentle wake-up call, a one-on-one conversation, or a reward for a busy day.
And I write you to say: Mom's over her coffee mug, and I'm more careful. I know that important things (like hearts and hope and coffee mugs) must be treated with a different kind of respect -- a concentration, really -- and that all of us must handle these with undivided attention, intentional time, and mutual respect. To recognize this responsibility is the first move toward realizing the influence we have over the hearts and hopes in our lives, and truly owning the effort that it takes to ensure we won't find them slipping from our hands, broken on the floor, or unused in the cupboard.
Starting now, let's shoot for the stars, handle with care, and give a shout to a helper if something's slipping. Here's to making our life's hearts, hopes, dreams (and coffee mugs) an integral, real, and ever-lasting part of our days.
Until next time,
Ken
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| The mug (right) |
I was like the kid on A Christmas Story who drops the lug nuts all over the highway. Aw fudge. I think I actually said, "I dropped it." Sigh. The good news: The Forever-21 lady was cool about it; Mom remained calm, and no one was hurt. We stood next to the bright orange juice goop-mixed-with-black-and-white-glass shards, until the nice lady said she'd take it from there. "It looks like that was a nice mug," she said. Yes. Yes, it was.
The Reflection
What's a kid to do? I take comfort in the fact that it was a replaceable (???) coffee mug, and not something soul-binding, like the determination of a personal goal, the heart of a first love, or the hope of an innocent child. But for some, a favorite coffee mug ranks right up there, for its ability to be a vessel for a gentle wake-up call, a one-on-one conversation, or a reward for a busy day.
And I write you to say: Mom's over her coffee mug, and I'm more careful. I know that important things (like hearts and hope and coffee mugs) must be treated with a different kind of respect -- a concentration, really -- and that all of us must handle these with undivided attention, intentional time, and mutual respect. To recognize this responsibility is the first move toward realizing the influence we have over the hearts and hopes in our lives, and truly owning the effort that it takes to ensure we won't find them slipping from our hands, broken on the floor, or unused in the cupboard.
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| Us (with Dad behind the camera) Summer 2013 |
Starting now, let's shoot for the stars, handle with care, and give a shout to a helper if something's slipping. Here's to making our life's hearts, hopes, dreams (and coffee mugs) an integral, real, and ever-lasting part of our days.
Until next time,
Ken
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