Dear Kid,

Sometimes it’s easy to be thankful. Like when it’s raining and someone offers to get the car and drive over to pick you up so you don’t have to walk through the parking lot brand new lake. Or when you walk into a warm room on a freezing cold day. Or when someone holds the elevator for you when you’re late for an appointment.

Sometimes it’s a lot harder. Like when someone does something you expected them to do. Or when people leave you alone on a day you really need to be left alone. Or don’t leave you alone on a day you say you want to be left alone but really need company.

It’s generally easier to be thankful for the here-and-now. After all, you’re in the here-and-now. (If we’re being literal, you’re at least in the “now.”)

It’s generally a lot harder to be thankful for the things that happened a while ago or that happen in the background. Like being healthy. And having a place to live.

Fortunately, we have Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving is a time to remember the big and little things we have to be thankful for. It’s time to think about the things we’ve done for people and that people have done for us.

What are you thankful for?

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

First of all, this rant is not about you. But if it applies to you sometime in the future, feel free to reread it.

Second of all, I looked it up. As in actual research (I’ll pause while you sit in stunned amazement for a minute).

According to the Dictionary, “work” is:

1. activity in which one exerts strength or faculties to do or perform something:

a: sustained physical or mental effort to overcome obstacles and achieve an objective or result

b: activity that a person engages in regularly to earn a livelihood people looking for work

c: a specific task, duty, function, or assignment often being a part or phase of some larger activity

2. a: energy expended by natural phenomena

b: the result of such energy sand dunes are the work of sea and wind

c: the transference of energy that is produced by the motion of the point of application of a force and is measured by multiplying the force and the displacement of its point of application in the line of action

I point out these definitions because I have recently been surprised, perplexed, and even confounded by how some people approach the activity of work. While some (maybe even most) people lean in and put their shoulder to the proverbial grindstone, others are less, um, dedicated. These are the people I’m confused by.

They want the success that comes with hard work, yet they seem to feel that breathing is sufficient to entitle them to that success. They opine that 20% effort should return 200% results. This is against the laws of physics, mathematics, and common sense, yet somehow these people are surprised to wake up every day and find the money fairy still hasn’t blessed them with endless riches.

I don’t get it.

If you figure it out, let me know.

In the meantime, work hard.

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

I’m simply not ready.

It just snuck up on me this year, and I’m not ready.

I’m not talking turkey, because Others are seeing to that this year. And I’m not talking holiday gifts because I’m never ready for that, so I’m readily unready.

I’m talking about the wind.

I got up this morning, and the wind was howling. It sounded like we were in the midst of The Storm of the Century.

We weren’t. There wasn’t a drop of precipitation to be seen or felt.

There was, however, wind. Lots of it. Screaming through the trees and around the houses.

It sounded like the start of a horror movie.

I was appropriately horrified.

I took the Puppy out for a walk—he didn’t seem particularly horrified—and the wind cut right through my jacket. And scarf. And mittens.

And I’m just not ready.

Winter is definitely coming…

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

Once upon a time, the world came to its senses and realized that smoking cigarettes was not cool.

Many, many efforts were made to get people to stop smoking (most of which didn’t work all that well) when someone got the bright idea to teach little kids that Smoking Was Bad. This had the dual impact of getting fewer kids to start smoking and turning a gaggle of elementary school children into warriors against cigarettes.

Some of the warriors (not naming names but me) piled up literature by the ton and hauled it dutifully to any adult (and by “adult” I mean my grandma) who would listen to the horrors and devastation caused by smoking as explained by a kindergartner.

Eventually (and by “eventually” I mean 1977), the American Cancer Society created the Great American Smokeout, a day dedicated to encouraging people to stop smoking. While their enthusiasm had nothing on me, age 5, they were able to reach far more people. Since not everyone got the message at first, they repeated the event a year later. And a year after that. And here we are 40 years later and we’re still encouraging people to STOP SMOKING!!! Because 36.5 million Americans still smoke cigarettes.

That is a lot of people and a lot cigarettes. Which means Big Tobacco makes money and oncologists get to tell people their lungs look like tar pits.

NOTE: There is no safe way to deal with tobacco. Hookah, pipes, cigars, chewing tobacco—you name it, they’re all carcinogenic.

If you know someone who smokes (and since there are 36.5 million people in the US who smoke, chances are you know at least one), remind them you care about their health and today is a great day to try cutting back on cigarettes.

Because friends help friends quit.

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

Tragedy!

Catastrophe!

Disaster and calamity!

Yesterday, the unthinkable happened.

I left my phone at home.

All day.

By itself.

Without me.

You know this because you tried to call, text, and otherwise track me down. It didn’t work and you resorted to calling Dad.

Not only could I not talk to you, Dearest One, I couldn’t go to the gym because Plans Had Not Been Made (and I’m still seriously exhausted).

I’m pretty sure there were other things I couldn’t do either. I’m not sure what, but I know that it is Vital to have a cell phone At All Times and since I didn’t the world was Seriously Out of Balance.

I apologize to the world.

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

What a fabulous success the Cincinnati Coffee Festival was. The venue was great, the vendors were wonderful, the crowds were spectacular, the music was top notch, the demos were interesting and well attended, and my Fitbit got a ridiculous workout.

Despite the amount of caffeine I had (yes, I tasted just about everything—I felt it was my obligation), I slept most of the day yesterday. I could use a few more days of wall-to-wall napping, but I’m starting to feel a bit more human.

In other news, the Puppy’s tail is feeling better. Did I tell you he sprained his tail a few weeks ago? If it weren’t so sad to see him yelp and then try to turn around to see who was tweaking his tail, it would have been funny. He now appears to be entirely healed.

The Bengals lost (not exactly a big surprise), Ohio University won, Indiana won (not many people noticed), the Cyclones won Friday night but lost Saturday night, Wilkes-Barre Penguins won both Saturday night and Sunday night (you knew that), and various other sports teams won and lost (generally not simultaneously).

I’ve used up most of my words—need to keep sleeping and replenish them.

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

Just a quick note to let you know I’m thinking about you.

Mostly, we’re racing around getting everything ready for the weekend (CincinnatiCoffeeFestival.com) and convincing the car that can hold twice as much as the people who designed it anticipated.

Cars are not known for their stretchability. I am not known for taking “no” for an answer. It made for an interesting conversation. The Puppy helped by sniffing the lawn.

Off to grab a couple minutes of sleep before we launch into tomorrow.

Love, Mom