What Happens When Gumption Sleeps With Audacity

There is something about Patsy Cline’s Walkin’ After Midnight that makes me want to go outside and find the moon she sings about.

Maybe it is a sixth sense that pushes me to take advantage of the magic that moonlight sprinkles upon the earth or maybe it is something else.

Don’t ask for more detail than that because experience has taught me sometimes you have to just accept that some things are and that other things…aren’t.

It took years for me to learn that particular lesson and even now there are moments where the most significant challenge of my day is to just sit still and let things happen.

That is because your favorite dad blogger brings a certain intensity to all he does and a desire to encourage people to do as he wants.

You might ask if that is because I have a need to control situations but that is not how I see it. No sir and no ma’am.

Human nature pushes most of us to take the path of least resistance and sometimes it means things don’t go as we want.

I suspect more often than not it has nothing to do with whether people like or dislike us and more to do with fighting inertia.

Ask my kids and they’ll tell you I push them to frame the circumstances they encounter that way because we act differently when we don’t think things happen because someone wanted to be a jerk.

Anyhoo, that thing called inertia and the path of least resistance are why I sometimes have been known to engage in the aforementioned encouragement.

If I ask you for help and am polite and reasonable most people are happy to give it. Can’t tell you how many times it has helped me get things done.

But then again, sometimes it just doesn’t matter because there are times where it can’t or won’t work and you just have to wait.

workforprize

I have been thinking about my pal Mr. Emerson for most of the day.

Why?

Because I busted my ass to make things happen and now that they have I am going crazy trying to get 987 hours worth of to-do list in just 12.

That might be an exaggeration but sadly it is just a slight one.

And that my friends is why I keep reminding myself of the quote because it helps me not to go crazy while trying to pack.

What Happens When Gumption Sleeps With Audacity

I messed around with using brazen or moxie instead of gumption but audacity defenestrated both of them so they lost out.

Somewhere around 10 I walked into my son’s room and asked him why he hadn’t begun packing or at least sorting his stuff.

He shrugged his shoulders at me and I told him if he wanted to make it to 25 he ought to get started.

“Dad, I am not going to be 25 for years.”

“Smart guy, before you think your old man has forgotten you won’t turn 25 for nine years let me assure you I haven’t. I know exactly how old you are and if you don’t start working it will take exactly 9 years and 3 days for you to finish serving your sentence.”

He told me the smile on my face was making him nervous and I winked and walked out.

Hell, I would have done the same thing at his age so I shouldn’t complain but…

Anyhoo as I walked back to my bedroom I took another mental inventory of our stuff and thought about how much work remains.

Rumor has it that people five miles away heard the scream I let loose after that.

That is because during the past ten years I have moved about five times and I’ll hit another three this year.

I blame the frequency on the love child of audacity of gumption and brazen.

Perspective Is Important

It would be easy to wallow in negativity and tell you about how I was force fed a shit sandwich and told to smile while swallowing it.

It would be easy to share how hard it was and how I look at some of those moments as being the worst of my life.

There were moments there where I was certain the sun had been extinguished and that love and happiness were things I was allowed to see other people enjoy.

The thing is I was given a double dose of tenacity and enough self confidence to believe there wasn’t anything I couldn’t figure out or at worst…outlast.

Fast forward to the present and I can’t tell you if there was more outlast or outwit played by me against the challenges I faced.

All I can tell you is today I am damn close to getting back and beyond where I once was.

That is a celebration in itself and a reminder to not let myself go too crazy because of the endless packing.

about the truth

You would think that after all of these moves I would be an expert and that it would be easy for me.

In concept there is a lot of truth in that except we have a ton of stuff and that is after numerous runs to Goodwill, dumpsters and what have you.

It wasn’t until the 23rd dumpster run of the day that I remembered I am freaking 47 and that I have been a father for a hell of a long time.

Certainly not as long as others but long enough for all of us to have acquired all sorts of stuff.

And th0ugh we have worked hard to shrink the number of things we own we have also tried to make sure we keep stuff we use on a semi-consistent basis.

Doesn’t mean we can’t rid ourselves of more stuff but it does mean that some things are kept because it is more cost-effective to hold onto than replace or rent them.

Ambition Meets Heart & Soul

“Dad, you are as goofy as the boys in school.”

I smile at my daughter and tell her I hope I am goofier.

When she asks why I tell it is because I have earned it.

Before she can answer I turn on Can’t Stop The Feeling and start dancing.

“Dad, you can’t dance.”

I laugh and tell her she is only partially right.

“I know how to two-step and slow dance. Girls always liked slow dancing with me.”

She rolls her eyes at me and I drop my voice an octave and tell her to come practice our wedding dance.

That kid gives me a hair flip and walks down the hall but not before she giggles at my goofy moves.

****

In the quiet of the night I stare at the ceiling and go over a list of things to be grateful for. Life is one hell of a journey.

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2 Comments

  1. Larry August 4, 2016 at 5:39 pm

    You’ll get it done – no choice. Good luck keeping the sanity in the process.

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