For those of us who have kids or pets or God help us both, there is one thing we know for sure. Illnesses, accidents and other misfortunes happen on the weekend or a holiday.
For the second time in our lives, Tom and I have a high school senior in the house. The first time it happened was two years ago, and it was weird. But that was 2020, when everything in the world was weird. Like most events in 2020, our oldest son's traditional graduation ceremony didn't happen. Then when it was nearly time to move him into the dorm, his college decided to only offer classes online for the first semester until conditions improved.
When Tom and I were young and dating, we'd sometimes notice an older couple sitting in a restaurant in total silence. We wondered if perhaps they were mad at each other and using the silent treatment. But their facial expressions didn't hint at an argument.
Last week I did something that took no effort at all. I turned 49. As special occasions go, you can't beat a birthday. No one expects you to plan for it. No one needs you to cook or shop or wrap presents or decorate the house. Compared to days like Thanksgiving or Christmas, birthdays are literally and figuratively a piece of cake.
Last weekend, a friend needed to borrow a piece of equipment, and I knew exactly where it was. I retrieved it from the closet but then realized it had a cord actually just half a cord dangling from it. Upon closer inspection, I realized the power cord had a connector in the middle, but the half of the cord that plugs into the wall which you could argue is the most important half was missing.