Memphis, TN
I thought that staying away from late nights, chasing women, and too much alcohol would be relaxing. I am finding myself fatigued more in Memphis with the constant action of a family with two small children. We go and go and go. Today was a birthday party for Hope. Last night I stayed up what used to be a normal time but has now turned into a late time of midnight. I woke up this morning at sixish with the kids in the background. I knew today was a big day because the party was going to be here, in the backyard. At sevenish I was out back with Brad preparing. The morning went by fast as I shoveled dirt, cleaned up clippings form the shrubs, moved kiddie pools, set up paper lanterns, hauled in bags of rocks, swept, went with Brad to Home Depot, and ate French toast. Memphis is a muggy place. I had a good sweat going and I guess it would constitute a workout. I did move the rocks and hauled dirt away in a wheelbarrow (I just learned how to spell that word).
Season made us lunch and I ran up to take a shower before the party people came. I made it down in the nick of time and without an Andrew. I was hoping to sneak in a nap, but it never happened. There were 8 kids running around, hopping in and out of the three kiddie pools. There were balloons, juice boxes, cheese puffs, popsicles, and some other snacks. I was the film guy. I video taped and took pictures for most of the party. I still managed to get into the pools. I got some good shots and some hilarious stuff. 2 year olds say and do the funniest things.
Everyone cleared out and we ordered some Chinese, cleaned up, went and got some frozen custard (chocolate with hot fudge), and then watched About Schmidt. This is a funny and depressing movie. I watched it in the theater when I was thinking about doing this journey. Jack says that life is about making a difference. He says he has failed at this. He says then when he dies and when the people that know him die, no one will remember him. When I first watched the movie, this point really drove home to me. I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to leave a mark for generations. I wanted to write a book that will be passed on. And then tonight, as Jack spoke his words, I realized we all make a difference. In one way or another, we all make a difference to someone or something. We may feel it forever. We may not know it. But one way or another, we all make a mark. Some may leave a more lasting or more public mark. Some may never realize they left a mark.
With that realization, I press on. I guess my goal is not a best seller or a movement. We all leave a mark, but part of life is deciding what kind of mark you want to leave.
That was weird. I originally was going to talk about how whipped these kids are making me. Not whipped in a bad way, but their motors don’t stop. You keep up and you weardown. My hats off to parents. Instead, I got all deep. I’ll leave it as is.