Zoey was born to Brian and Sarah this week. She’s a new cousin and her photo came to my phone on Tuesday. I was thinking about her while walking Carter, our “special” black lab around the block at 5:30am. This is a wonderful time of year, the sun is already above the horizon even at that hour, and it’s early enough to beat the heat and humidity.
Carter is a rescue dog; we got him when he was four years old and he’s not as sharp as Hannah, our 15-year-old lab that stays at home in the morning. She’s too deaf to hear us get up and doesn’t mind the extra rest or staying out of the heat. (By “not sharp” I mean that he walks into things, doesn’t understand that sliding glass doors are a barrier, he eats Christmas presents -- those kinds of things.) I thought about the picture of newborn Zoey compared to my son, born 7 months ago. He’s already so much bigger; the times when I could hold him on my forearms and not have him reach my elbows are already gone. Turning the corner at the town common and passing the bakery, the smells coming from the screen door in the kitchen remind me of home. This zips me ahead to the other side of my mid-life. My parents are starting to have health issues and I realize that I am now a care giver to both of the generations around me. As I return home the routine begins: maneuvering traffic on 128, getting to the office, working through projects, finding some humor here or there. Break for a sandwich from Chick-fil-a for lunch. Back into the breach to finish the day. I’m fortunate to work with a great bunch of people and I enjoy spending the day unraveling problems, some easy, some impossible for today. Back to the chariot for the Ben Hur home. As I slide the glass door open returning home, I see the big smile with only one tooth, elated in his mother’s arms and surprised that I have returned. I smile knowing Brian and Sarah will have this joy very soon when Zoey does the same thing. ____________________________________________About the author: John J. Wall lives near Boston, produces Marketing Over Coffee and just got his iPad. Read more at RoninMarketeer.com & follow him on Twitter at @johnjwall.