Yesterday

I don't know what to say.  I've started this post several times now, writing at least the beginning of the opening sentence only to delete it and stare at the blank screen.  I'm actually at a loss.

I go through this writer's block once in a while, but rarely when I want to write.  It's usually when I would like to be writing but can't think of anything, so I find something else to do and just press on with life.  These days I almost feel compelled to write, but today nothing of substance is coming out and it is getting frustrating.  My writing balls are rather blue right now, if you will pardon the crude imagery.

I guess I can talk about my day yesterday.  I had a great day.  The kind of day I will remember for a while, and the memory of which will help light darker days that may come for me in the future.

I was able to help a wonderful, smart, kind, and talkative(!) little boy by just being there for him.  I won't go into the circumstances of why he may have needed it, but I was just thrilled to be able to help him out even for a short while.

We hung out, ate his favorite food, went shopping for a few things he needed (*checking out the toy section and video games too because, well, that's mandatory when shopping, even for me), looked at puppies in the mall (*again, a mandatory exercise when one finds oneself at the mall), and saw a movie.

I kind of felt bad leaving my own kids at home, but realistically they don't need me as much these days and were fine by themselves --and sometimes somebody else just needs a little more attention.

We just hung out that afternoon, he and I, and it was great.  We laughed and talked about many things.  That boy is a talker for sure, but I didn't mind one bit.  We even had some good "man to man" discussions too.  It felt good being in that role of friend, big brother and father figure for him, and I'd do it again in a heartbeat.  He's one of my favorite humans, and Stacy always tries to take excellent care of his favorites.

Since Valentine's Day (or as I like to call it, "Singles Awareness Day", or "That holiday fabricated by the greeting card industry") was coming up soon, we had a chat about how he should always take care of the wonderful ladies in his life.  At this time in his young life, that means mom and little sister.  There will be plenty of time to add a girlfriend to the list in the future.

I talked to him about how it's not important to "go big" or extravagant with gifts, but rather show them that you care (*and that you listen!) by getting them something you know they would love.   So while we shopped for a few things he needed, I had him take some time to pick out a few gifts for his mom and sister he knew would make them both individually happy.  It was all him doing the shopping by himself, and he was so happy doing it.  When I found out later how big of a smile he had showing them what he had got for them, it filled me with a warmth I really needed more than I care to admit, and a smile so big it made my cheeks sore.  I wanna give him a giant bear hug right now just for making me feel that way.

So yeah, yesterday was a great day, and one I wish I could do again and again.  While it does feel good doing something nice for a complete stranger, it feels amazing doing something nice for someone you really care about.