Feared and Dreaded Moments

There are a few times in your life when you have to come face to face with your most feared and dreaded moments.  They come early and life and they continue to follow you throughout your life, up to the point where you ultimately get the call to meet the maker.

I had one yesterday, but here are a few that I'm sure all the boys and men have either encountered, or will eventually meet:

1.  That first belt whipping.  You dread it, you know its coming, and there is nothing you can do to stop it.  Running away or hiding are not the answer, because you will be found.  Then it comes, it hurts, but when its over, you think, gee, the anticipation was a whole lot worse than the punishment.

2.  That first time to whip your child.  You dread it, you know that it is the only option.  You have to get his attention, hoping it will be the first and last.  Once you get past the first lick, the rest come easy.  And, somehow, you know when to stop.   Matthew must have told Morgan about it, because I was never given the opportunity to do it again.

3.  That first kiss.  You have always been pecked on growing up as a child. You get to pre-teen and discover that girls don't just play with dolls.  Wow, they grow up too!  You find out that the other guys in the class have actually kissed a girl, on the mouth!  You finally get the courage, find the right girls, the right moment, and bam!  You've done it!  But, you aren't really sure what you did!  She runs away threatening to tell somebody, and then you get the fear of that dreaded whipping again!

4.  First official date,  driving, dinner & a movie and back.  My first solo adventure with someone I barely knew was in community college.  It was a red head.  It was something about that red hair.  Nobody warned me about what comes with the hair. She lived in another town, so I picked a weekend when I knew she would be home. I tried doing all the "right things".  I sent her flowers, a dozen roses.  I asked her if she got them, response was "yep, they came in a box, still had thorns on them and the wires were just laying in the box".  Still, there was that red hair.  I picked her up to take her to dinner.  She hugged the passenger door.  Got to the restaurant, boy could that girl eat, the most expensive thing on the menu!  But still, there was that red hair!  Went to a move, an action flick, on the screen, no where else....  Time to take her home, stuck the key into the ignition upside down.  Took forever to get it unstuck.  But still, there was that red hair.  I'm guessing her patience was running thin.  That red hair bled into her face, and the out of her mouth, "take me home".  Yes ma'm!
Needless to say, I did not even have to reach for the door handle.  She was at her front door faster that I could get out the words "let me walk....).

5.  Will you marry me.  These are not the four most dreaded words, they anticipation of the answer is by far the biggest fear in a man's life.  What if she says NO?  I thought about it, and thought about it.  Funny thing, I knew she was the one for me after the first date.  To test the waters, I even visited her mom a few times at her work and took her a flower.  Finally, I had a plan.  I waited until she was a bit distracted.  She was doing cross stitch project for a gift.  While she was stitching, I stood up, fearing that needle, and hit her with "will you marry me"?  Without missing a stitch, she said "yes" and continued on.  She was and is one cool cookie!

6. Babies.  You find out you are gonna be a Daddy.  Got to be honest, I actually had sympathy symptoms during the whole first pregnancy.  LaNelle got put to bed because of her blood pressure weeks before the due date, and the worry meter went even higher.  I was making a homemade pizza the night she went into labor, and haven't made one since.

7.  Dad, I need to talk to you.  Oh great, "I hope it is something penicillin can cure" goes through your mind.  Son spent his junior and senior high school years at the Mississippi School for Math and Science.  He is a senior.  The friend girl is a junior.  "Dad, she wants to live together when we get to MSU".  I look at him.  Son:  Your freshman year at MSU you are required to life in the dorm.  Your sophomore year she will be required to live in the dorm,  So, we don't even need to be having this conversation until you are a junior.  Guess what, he is now a junior.......

8.  "Retirement".  Been working at a job I'd been enjoying for 15 years.  It was a little like family.  You work hard and you play hard.  You know about each others families.  Then things change.  New guy in town.  You begin to hate going to work.  You can't eat, you can't sleep.  You go to the doctor for a magic pill.  Communication is nonexistent.  Finally, after several years of this, you wake up to the realization that you are in a depression .  You decide that you have reached a point in your life where you need to make a change.  Soon as busy season is over, job market here I come.   Then one Friday afternoon, you find out that you are "retired".  Wow.  This happens to other people, not me.  As I pulled out of the parking lot, I suddenly realize somebody just did me a favor.    Almost wish I could have said thank you.

9.  What do you do now?  Got to admit , was not sure about this one.  Eventually, I began volunteering at my church, took up several hobbies, began looking for part time work, and still looking.  Blessed with a supportive soul mate and two wonderful boys.  Can't complain one bit!

10.  What does the future hold?  I'm not sure.  I'm still looking for that one thing to help occupy my time. Enjoying life and hoping the money holds out.

FDR once said, "the only thing to fear, is fear itself."  He was right.  Enjoy what you do.  Life is far too short to live it any other way!