Distraction, On the Way to Say Goodbye to an Old Friend

So true to form, I ran over the recycling bin again today enroute to say goodbye sadly to an old friend.

Happens every year when the 14 feet of snow pile up and turn our 2-lane driveway into a skinny icy bowling lane mailman lawsuit waiting to happen. And today is one of those where my conscientious kids decided to put the week old rice and beans and pasta leftovers into the bin. So here I am, 530 am, bleary-eyed from a late flight home, on my way to drive 2 hours to Massachusetts and on my hands and knees pulling food scraps off the road, my blue suit muddied, my hands cold. Zaggy, our labradoodle, who I’d describe as part stuffed animal part monster, Thumperd his 67 pounds down our icy driveway. My problem was about to be solved, only thing is the $1,500 electric fence – Zag wouldn’t break the barrier this time. My neighbor Allan simply shook his head. He knows my pain. Allen gets locked out of his house every other week and can only enter through the back window, made much more difficult in 2 feet of snow. This is life for unprepared and easily distracted dads in the northeast. But I’ll say this for New Englanders – the winter bonds us. There is real community here. The shoveling and ice melt. The D&D runs and igloos. First story I ever wrote for the Herald back in my late 20s was about a group of kids and their igloo. Photo made its way into the Swampscott Reporter in December 1999 and a young teacher from Peabody, Cara Murtagh, had me come in to talk to her students about it. About how to engage readers and write a ‘how to story’ in less than 100 words. It’s been 20 years since I was in that class. That friend I’m saying goodbye to today is Cara. Just 44, but boy did she make an impact.

Makes my morning catastrophe not such a big thing. Cara’s story: by clicking here