Thursday, April 3, 2008

Mr. Stretch


I reached out to hug my youngest on his way to school this morning, and , suddenly, he was taller than me. Hold on! When did this happen? He still hasn't put on any beef, mainly because he has the fastest metabolism possible and is never still even though he eats all the time, so I hadn't noticed. Davis is like the "Mr. Stretch" doll that Clayton once had.
Mr. Stretch was so cool. He did exactly what his name indicates. How he could do it was the biggest mystery, until one fateful day.... Clayton made the mistake of taking Mr. Stretch to an outdoor cookout at someone's house. It was one of those gatherings of families where the adults talk and the kids are left to their own entertainment with not much attention paid to them. When it was time to leave, Mr. Stretch could not be found.
We looked and looked for Mr. Stretch to no avail until he was spotted in an unlikely place...a wastecan in an out-of-the-way room...oozing corn syrup from his over-stretched armpit...a victim of older boys' curiosity.
Anyway...Davis is Mr. Stretch without the oozing corn syrup. He keeps getting taller and thinner. When the "baby" passes me in height, I know my job is getting ready to be "phased out". When did this happen?

Broom Man


My neighborhood has a Broom Man. He is perserverence and diligence personified. I have seen him getting off of the city bus at 7:30 a.m., ready to hit the pavement selling his product...brooms... not stopping until they are all sold. I've seen him in 100 plus degree heat, and I saw him today in the cold, misty rain.
Broom Man encourages me. I see him and I want to set goals for myself and work hard to see them become reality. Broom Man births compassion in my heart. I wish I could buy all his brooms, for twice the price, and tell him to go home and have a vacation. I wish I knew Broom Man's real name. I wish he could be the High Profile person in Sunday's paper because I think his life is much more interesting than the life of the incoming Jr. League President or the Riverfest Chairperson, or some banker in a suit talking about his fantasy dinner.
I've lived in this town all my life, and I can not remember a time when there was not a Broom Man. He's been going strong for 40 years. Today...he was looking a bit old...and all-the-more I wanted to buy all his brooms...and send him home.