Perfect Time

There is this magical time of the day. I feel like when it comes, that a warm breeze blows past me, wafting sweet smells of apple pie as it dances with the vanilla bean of the ice cream that is slowly melting into the lattice top of the pie. I wake up with anticipation everyday, looking forward to that magical span of seconds.

Sure, I have to wait until the sun slips off her swimsuit and slowly slides her naked burning flesh into the red, orange and yellow hues that dance across the Pacific at dusk. But knowing that the time will come makes all of the other stuff completely bearable.

All the moments that fill the day before that magical time the phone rings non-stop from creditors; the e-mails flow constantly from co-workers and supervisors needing my expertise on a specific task; the repetitive instructions that I have to give to the employee who has no clue, and never will; and the mountain of bills that seem to be the foundation of the Great Wall of Southern California. All of these forces seem to conspire to try and break my spirit before that special time.

But inevitably that magical time will come. The phone will ring just a few more times, but I pay it no attention. The bills are stacked on the table near the door, but I refuse to let my eyes make contact with them, as if they’re the girlfriend of my best friend. And the work will be there, on my computer, but I’ll refuse to pay it any mind at this magical time.

Ahhh, it’s here. Basking in the giggles of my kids as they share the stories of the varied adventures that comprised their days. Tales of which parent flipped out for no reason at the school from my wife. Smiles as the kids shovel their dinner into their tummy. And the warmth of the love that fills our house.

Problems dissolve like a bad transition in a B movie. I live in that moment for as long as I can make it last. Really not caring about anything else, I soak up the good stuff that’s there to be had. Sure, it’s an “out of sight out of mind” approach, and the problems don’t go away. But if you don’t take a vacation from the problems at least once a day, you’d absolutely lose your mind eventually.

So if you walk into my office during my busy season and you see my eyes glazed over like an addict’s and a goofy smile on my face like Lenny from Of Mice and Men, rest assured that I haven’t lost it completely. I’m just daydreaming of that time that will come eventually; that moment when my life is perfect, without problems.