Thursday, December 13, 2012

Lesson # 56: Kids Are Costly


$79. Cost of the new smart phone for D.
$40. Activation fee.
$40. Monthly fee for unlimited texting.
$550. Cost of security deposit I just put down for D and K's new apartment in a relatively bad part of town but close to their college.
$100,000. Cost of medical bills for the heart attack D gave me last night via text.

Texts I received from D last night:

12:57 p.m.

D: Can't wait for vacation! Yomp I get a month off from school!

1:12 pm.

Me: Finals week. Keep your chin up.

1:34 p.m.

D:  Yup.

5:14 p.m.

D: OMG mom I was just shot at. The shot was so loud it made my ears ring. I was at the 7-11 walking home and when I got shot at I ran all the way home.

5:28 p.m.

D: Don't worry Maw. It wasn't that big of a deal. I don't think they were shooting at me. I am all right now. It wasn't as bad as the road rage shooting that happened out front the other day.


Friday, June 29, 2012

Lesson #55: One man's trash is another man's treasure.

C and I walked down the sidewalk, his little hand nestled in my own. At the corner, a man rummaged through the trash can, tossing plastic bottles on the ground.

"Look Heidi," C said. "It's a trash guy. What's he doing?"

"He's recycling," I answered.

The trash guy looked up from his project. His hands were dirty. His clothing disheveled. He eyed C, one quick glance taking in C's crisp white karate gi and said, "Look, it's a little karate guy."

We walked on past toward the dojo. C looked up at me and beamed pride.

"That trash guy could see that I'm a karate guy," he said.

"You're right," I answered.

"Trash guys are really smart, aren't they, Heidi?" C said.

"Perhaps," I answered. "Perhaps they are smarter than all of us."