I remember reading about Michael Jordan – yup I am that generation, and his description of being in the zone so that the game slowed down and he could accomplish great feats. So I found that zone today…and it started with having the opportunity to go back and forth in my driveway with my son.

Nope. For once not a back and forth argument. And not back and forth kicking a ball, or back and forth throwing a ball…something far scarier…

For half an hour of sheer bliss I was able to teach him how to understand the importance of controlling the dangerous beast that a car can be. I pleaded with him to not destroy Mom’s new car placed strategically at the end of the driveway to prevent a disaster should we fly across the street. And that was just going forward. Next, I begged him not to destroy the proverbial white picket fence looming large in the rear view mirror (yes, I really am living the dream) as we lurched awkwardly and scarily in reverse.

The sheer irony of explaining that the first thing upon entering the car would be to check your sight lines and vision and mirrors as I sat in the passenger seat with my Mr. Magoo vision was priceless.

The amazing gift of being able to calmly guide him to focus his mind to slow down enough to control a car, put me in that zone. If I was not successful the insurance company would be helping us get a double whammy of replacing fences and bumpers. We are all where we need to be when we need to be there and we get the strength we need when we need it, so when I finally gingerly opened my door and announced that he had successfully completed the first lesson of of Mr. Magoo’s Daddy Driving school… I had an amazing sense of connection with, a higher power, or the universe, or something completely beyond our grasp. Clarity, Flow, the Holy Spirit, the Zone, whatever term you want to use when you get it. It’s pretty incredible. And today I got it.

My car was intact. Mom’s car was intact. The fence was standing. And my knee was done shaking.

I only hope that when I walk Wally for the nightly pee I can find the zone well enough to avoid inadvertently meandering into traffic. See, the ultimate irony is that I need incredible faith to take each step forward in the dark to walk the dog without disastrous consequences- yet I have found the zone, clarity, strength to guide a teenager through an afternoon of bumper cars in the Donadoni Driveway.

And that’s pretty awesome. Thanks for coming!!!