Unwind

Last night, I worked late here..okay, I piddled around on the internet for personal reasons late. I was killing time until around 6pm. I was to go over to Human Resources Director Jill’s house to fix her iMac between 6 and 7.

I left here and went by Subway and got a 6″ Turkey & Ham on the Oregano Parmasean bread. I am usually a Club or Steak & Cheese, but, alas, no red meat for another few days. I figure this is better for me anyway, eh? I also opted for only the sandwhich. I had a little Pepsi in a bottle still from work, and planned to go by the Kwikie Mart for water and dessert.

Dessert just needs to be something sweet, to signal the end of the meal. I find if I can’t find this, I will just keep eating! I decided on chocolate milk. I haven’t had milk in a while, and the chocolate filled the other need, too.

Armed with a meal, I headed out to the lake not far from Jill’s house. I found a tot-lot with a nice view of the water, and ate in the car with the windows down and the radio low. It was the kind of evening where I’d like to go riding around the lake on my bicycle; maybe I’ll fit it in after the repair. We’ll see….

After eating, I sat and just relaxed for a bit. Its fun to watch the children play. This is a new tot-lot. Its all plastic and rubber coated steel with the bark chips a foot deep within the ring. I am one of those old-school monkeys who partly resent the “need” to make our play areas safer. I played in those “unsafe” play areas. I have a scar on my left shoulder where a broken weld on a merry-go-round handrail ripped into me while trying to board the moving ride – back when I was maybe 5?

Here was a definate “unsafe” thing that needed to be fixed. But I don’t harbor a grudge. Likewise, I played on many a playground, and many things that weren’t designed for play, too, and this was my only injury. So, as a man-child, I don’t understand the need to change our playpens.

*smiling* But, as a someday father, I also understand that, these new kids have no idea the frontier they are missing. They think this new safe stuff was built just for them… and they would be correct. I have no desire to see my children, or anyone elses, hurt while playing. (it toughens them up, if it happens, but there’s no need to hasten this process).

But, back to my original thought – its fun to watch them play. Its fun, because I watched the adventurous children bypassing the safeguards, and having as much fun as they wanted. For example, I saw a kid climbing on TOP of the shell that guards the launch area for the slippery slide…. Kids will be kids, and thats great.

I backed slowly out of the lot, and headed just up the road to Jill’s house. Her brother-in-law and wife were there, helping her get ready for a garage sale this coming weekend. I let myself in and made my way downstairs. Its about 6:45.

As I work, I hear the goings-on upstairs. Eventually, the family leaves. She feeds her kids. Then Mackenzie (5) and Bailee (3) come down stairs. In the past, they’ve made the effort to entertain me. Tonight, they just watch tv with their mom. Jill told me later, that on my arrival, Bailee said “Parra’s home!” It’s nice to be accepted into their world.

I keep working. Soon, its bed time. Jill takes them up and tucks them in, and I reach the point of diminishing returns. I pack up my gear and come up to find her tidying the kitchen. I stop and talk. She gets a load of laundry and starts to fold. She offers me a beer.

For the next half hour, I am sitting with Jill, having a beer, bagging on I.T. here at work, and other common annoyances. I just think thats…I don’t know… Today, I am a Comm Spec, and she is HR Director, but last night there were no pretense or position descriptions. It was just unique, or at least rare, to my experience.

Her husband was at (I believe) softball practice. She commented on how they got a sitter last weekend and had a date that is all too rare for them. They talked about how in the evenings when they are “together” that they aren’t together. So they actually rearranged furniture that night to facilitate streamlining the children processes, or optimizing their proximity to each other over the evening.

I say that, because I believe she enjoyed the evening as much as I. While I’m not her husband, I am another adult with whom she got to have an adult conversation, and drink a beer. I pointed out that had he been there, she would have spent that time with him, so their furniture moving and whatnot must already be paying off! I hope they get this evening together.

Of course, back at work, our conversations never happened. We d i d n o t say those things…. *chuckle*