Storytelling is easy for me. For example…
While driving my 10-year-old bonus boy to school today, we had a long conversation about bears. My parents saw three yesterday in their backyard. And my bonus boy overheard me talking to my mom about it.
He must have been waiting to bring the topic up until I started backing out of the driveway because the second I put it in reverse he goes, “So three bears? That’s so much worse than just one.”
Our morning rides are long. The traffic was nuts this morning. Red lights everywhere and the last thing I wanted to do right then was put an action plan together in the event we ever encountered a bear while visiting my parents.
My plan was and probably will always be to never go outside while visiting them so no bear encounters could occur.
But his action plan had been created in his mind for some time. He envisioned us cutting down trees and building a bear trap and always having the motion detector lights on and blowing a dart into its butt so I’m the bear falls asleep and someone can come get it and take it to a national park.
I felt like the conversation had gotten away from anywhere I was mentally prepared to go. After one silence he said.
“Let’s talk about something else.”
“Yes good idea,” I said.
“So how’s your podcast going?”
Truthfully I’m procrastinating on starting the second season because the world feels so heavy. And I’m not technical and what I want to do this season will involve more tech. So I’m waiting to see if I’ll need one microphone or two. And if two, do I need an adapter?
“I’m starting the next season soon and I think I’m going to start by interviewing dad!”
“Cool, can I be on it?”
“No kid. The show is about cancer and caregiving and married people who have been through that. I think I want to stick to that right now. But I’ll let you know if that changes.”
With the shootings that happened yesterday, or really just due to life in general lately, I felt extra nervous about taking him to school. I wanted to talk about what makes up great days at school and how he can show up as his best self.
- Being kind
- Participating in class
- Being cooperative
- And respecting others
So there in the HOV lane, going 20 miles an hour on the 101 in Phoenix, we said some prayers.
Repeat after me, I said and glanced at him in the rear view mirror. He has his head bowed and was fidgeting with something in his lap.
Dear Jesus: Thank you for this day. Please be with me today. Please help me make the right decisions and be kind and friendly to everyone. Please help me hold my tongue if I am angry or want to yell. Please help me choose calm if I need it. In your name I pray. Amen.
