lesson 17: value perfect days

"I missed you yesterday."

"Aw... Really. That's nice. I must admit I'm a bit surprised though."

"I guess you weren't in production mode. You only did one lesson yesterday."

"That's OK, as long as I hit the fortieth lesson by March twentieth, we're good."

"And then what."

"Then we're done."

"Oh."

"What's wrong?"

"Well what happens to me?"

"We'll see."

"OK. I guess... So, we're at seventeen..."

"We are. It was a good year. I had my first summer job away from home."

"McDonald's?"

"Away from home? No. I was a counselor at a summer camp."

"Wow. That's scary, they let you shape young hearts and minds?"

"Yep. I loved it. I had about ten kids per week with one day off for sanity."

"Sanity? You were at summer camp."

"Have you ever been surrounded by children for weeks at a time?"

"Well, no, that isn't really possible, considering..."

"True. It is unspeakably exhausting. The thing that is sticking in my mind are the days off. At this camp, which was on Lake Ontario, there was an area called Flat Rock. It was really secluded and was the place to get away to."

"A rock."

"Well not exactly. It was beautiful. At the end of a long lane, right beside the water, the shoreline consisted of large flat slabs of rock that submerged into the water. Lying on them, they were warm with the sun, a breeze came off of the lake, and the waves broke against the rock. Fantastic swimming too... We used to go there with our books and some snacks and just sit and enjoy the silence, the sound and smell of the water and wind, the warmth of the sun. It was incredible and strangely spiritual. I really got lost in the moment there."

"Well, that was poetic. I have a hard time believing that the smell of Lake Ontario was appealing. Isn't it a cesspool?"

"Not yet, it was still pretty clean."

"Oh ya, you're old. So what did you learn from these days of revelry. That you hate kids?"

"No... and I don't. I learned ... I think I learned to just be. To just take in the perfection of a day with few expectations of it."

"Um. I think that you've forgotten this lesson. You may have to relearn. You're pretty distracted a lot of the time... and you let beautiful days pass all the time."

"You're right. I should relearn. Good reminder. Maybe I'll keep you around."