Giant Fun

So I decided that I owed my wife a solid last night and planned to pick up The Kid from daycare and then run by the grocery store for to pick up some essentials (milk, coffee, juice, etc.). It was cold, rainy, and generally unpleasant, so I figured that a solo grocery run in bad weather would be appreciated all the more.

I’m going to preface this next part by stating that I love my wife dearly. I say this because in addition to being a loving husband and father, I am, at my most basic and fundamental level, a guy.

I un-strapped The Kid from the back seat and proceeded to carry her into the local food purveyors’ establishment. I couldn’t help but notice that the percentage of women looking at me and smiling seemed a bit higher than normal. Sure, I’m used to being ogled by the ladies, but I started to think that perhaps I had something in my hair, or had donned some manner of fashion faux pas that morning that would be brought to my attention when I arrived home to the sweet sounds of “Welcome home honey. Is that what you wore today?” As if there was any doubt.

Back to the store. The Kid goes into the cart, and the smiling continues. I believe I was in the canned goods section when I realized that: a) I looked fine, and b) The Kid is a babe magnet.

20 month olds that look like this…

are apparently soccer mom kryptonite. They are powerless when confronted with it.

The Kid behaved marvelously, which probably only enhanced and concentrated her newly discovered powers. Casually tossing a conspicuously placed copy of “Single Parent” magazine into the cart probably would have driven some of those women into a veritable frenzy, so I opted against it.

Made it out of the store with only one impulse buy (an Elmo toothbrush which The Kid espied and promptly demanded, but needed anyway), and got home none the worse for wear. But certainly with a heightened appreciation for everything The Wife does around the house.

As to the attention from all those lovely ladies, I just let it roll off my back. There’s only one woman out there I’m trying to impress.

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I was going to post a humerus anecdote about taking The Kid to the grocery store solo last night, but events have transpired that have led me to postpone that one.

Back at the end of 2007, I wrote about an acquaintance of mine who was who was fighting a brain tumor.

I and many others followed his progress on his website, but it became clear last summer that his health was declining. His daily postings were becoming erratic and almost nonsensical until his brother took over and chronicled what was happening.

At 6:22 last night, David drew his last breath and was finally at peace. He was released from his suffering and went to the place where all of us, as humans, will eventually go. It is our one shared destiny.

His writings were inspiring to all who read them, and it wasn't hard to get something valuable out of them. Focus on what's important. Stay optimistic. Make a positive contribution. Never give up.

In the end, I don't like to think that he did give up. Nor did he "lose" his "battle" with cancer. It was never a fair fight. Maybe there was a reason for it. It did enabled him to use his gifts and serve as an valuable voice for those who have dealt with or will deal with the same thing. Perhaps that was his purpose for being here in the first place. I'm sure it's little solace to his family now, but I like to imagine that sometime in the future, another brain cancer survivor will find inspiration in his story enough to thank David's family personally.

Maybe that's just me being overly sentimental. Could be, but I have faith it will happen. I'm staying optimistic.

Like David did.