Out-Numbered

I just said goodbye to my dog. He didn't die thank God. That would have wrecked me. He just went to hang out with his grandma for the night. Those two are old souls. Probably making good on unfinished business from lives past. The thought of it makes me smile. Today I've had the day to myself which is rare. Much needed time to reflect and decompress. Time to reverse engineer the last three hundred and sixty five twenty fours. Life has been busy and slow and empty and full. It's been up and down and all of the above. It's been ad infinitum and whatever else describes the endless flow of days. They pile up and spill out all over the floor, in a crash, like a fumbled pitcher of sweet iced tea that slipped from the hands of a little kid trying to impress a living room full of adults, gathered around the dining room table, locked in a game of charades. I'm feeling a little bit vulnerable right now. My emotions have been waiting patiently. Waiting ...

Every year my family and I make our annual pilgrimage to West Palm Beach, Florida to visit my in-laws. During the week leading up to our departure, my friends and co-workers ask me the same question over and over again. "How excited are you for your vacation?" I always have the same response. "Uh... it's not really a vacation, so much as it's a family trip but I guess I'm excited." I'm pretty sure most people wouldn't take the time to clarify the distinction between a vacation and a family trip. In fact I'm certain most people would just answer the question with enthusiasm and be done with it. In my situation it's different. As a parent and the author of Out-Numbered, I feel a certain responsibility to my readers. I must tell it like it is. It would be much easier to lie to my friends and co-workers about my amazing vacation with my family. Unfortunately, life isn't always easy. This is why this week I bring to you the hard truth abou...