Saturday Stumps

Saturday was the perfect day. The day conformed exactly to the hopes that I have always had about what it would like to be the father of a boy. On so many other days I fall far short of what I want to be that this day stands out in stark contrast.

It was a warm, sunny spring day. I decided to take the boy to the Chattahoochee Nature Center for "Much Ado About Bugs", a short class designed for kids. I hoped that there would be live bugs. The boy did not. He got his way. He enjoyed the craft portion of the class (he made a bee). Afterward, we walked the trails and talked of all things of five-year olds.

The Nature Center has a live bald eagle in one of its enclosures (as well as several owls and hawks). I had never seen a bald eagle before. "Majestic" falls far short in describing the bird. It would be a wonder to see one in the wild.

We passed a large stump.

"Look at this daddy!"

"That's a stump. The tree must have died and the people here cut it down, leaving this stump."

"Trees die?"

"Yes." Uh-oh.

"Do all trees die?"

"Eventually. Though they can live for many years."

"Will my tree die?" There is a tree in the back yard that I planted after my wife made me save it when it seeded itself too close to the house. Now it is my boy's tree. As he grows, it grows.

"Um. Hmm. Yes, eventually it will die, but it is young and should live for a long very time." As should you son.

He paused and asked with some concern, "Will I die when my tree dies?"

Not unless you are a dryad, I thought. What a melancholic question. I answered his questions, feeling like I was on the losing end of police interrogation, and we continued around the lakes (they have two).

We lunched at McDonalds where the boy polished off his entire meal and a towering cone (without losing a single drop--an impressive feat).

I took the kids outside when we got home. The boy and girl helped me plant some new bulbs and clean up the yard. The boy went about as my helper saying, "Yes, Sir!" and "No, Sir!" and feeling quite important. A rousing game of tag ensued after the girl went inside. The boy amazed himself with a face-saving leap over a large rock, and we went inside, red-faced and exhausted.

The perfect day.


Peace