Sometimes things come flying at you like Wally leaping into the hammock…like you know it’s coming but you just don’t know when. It’s for sure that he will join you in the warm autumn sun. But the timing of the leap that will jar you from your sleep is debatable and deniable and downright dangerous. I don’t know if that makes sense. But, hey it’s my blog.

And while it’s a great photo op, the actual balancing of Bill and Beast on the balancing beam does not always go as restfully as it looks. Sometimes you think you are out for a magnificent morning nap and then…

Imagine walking down a middle school hallway and expecting to see nothing unexpected. That’s crazy right? You never know what you might see on any given Monday. Or Friday. Or day ending in Y. Or picture the chance that I will actually walk up my driveway and not walk into a dumpster door at night? Wait…what?

Yeah, well when you are moving after so many years…there is more baggage in our basement than you find at a Hilton. Or Kardashian. Or whatever hotel or family tree you want to use. So, the big teenager and the grumpy old man have been heaving that baggage into the dumpster in the driveway. And while I usually choose to not walk the dog alone at night without my headlamp…I made a hasty decision. Costly. Painful. Because we returned from our evening pee in the pitch black and you know who was holding the door open for me?

The large handle of the dumpster that was waiting in the dark smacked right into my chest. Which was fabulous. Because it reminded me of the 4 broken ribs I had sustained the previous weekend. I say fabulous, because as an educator I was thrilled to be able to get immediate feedback on the situation and could inform my instruction to grind my teeth a tad harder. Wally was fine if you were concerned. I winced and remembered a lesson I had filed away for future reference. See…I usually remember the lesson after the fact- which is why I share so you don’t make the same mistakes! Never try to do too much, especially when you are in uncharted shark-infested waters with a slightly bleeding toenail and no life preserver. That might be too much. I think the lesson was actually to keep things simple. Keep your head down, put one foot in front of the other, and keep going. Because if you have faith, you will get there. (OR you can’t see in the dark, don’t take the dog out knucklehead).

So we will get where we need to get to. And everyone will be exactly where they are supposed to be. Including the dumpster’s steely fist. Which will be no where near my heart from now on. I am walking away from that dumpster with no ill will for the short quick pain it gave me. Because, it’s over. My decision to step out at night without a guide daughter or headlamp will be discussed for generations. But I think the rest of my family will truly be able to move freely without fear from the dumpsters of life. Because they have Faith. And Wally for now…God bless you all for listening to me! Oops, I mean reading.

Here’s to a Yankee October to Remember!