For my birthday my daughter gave me a deck of cards: Go Ask Dad. Each card has a question about what I liked when I was a kid, what I wanted to be, what music I liked. Every night we read a few cards. Last nightÂ’s question: what was the most important event that had taken place in my lifetime?
I couldnÂ’t answer that one. Not yet. SheÂ’s only seven.
I remember how still it was after the planes were grounded. When the airlines were grounded the jets came in one after the other over my house; then silence. Silence all day. I remember there was an election; canÂ’t recall what it was for, but off we went to the school to vote. I pushed the stroller up the block, sleepwalking. In the evening we went to the park, as always, and pushed our daughter in the swing. She laughed; she had a grand day. She was one year old. When the sun went down she had a bath and played with yellow rubber ducks and slept sweet untroubled sleep. I sat by the TV with a laptop and watched the news until 3 AM, and then there was nothing but the sound of the lone jet overhead, patrolling the dark. . . .
He's soliciting "where were you" stories in the combox. Go over and contribute. |