It's Monday morning, Labor Day, and I'm enjoying the relative quietude at Bongo Java. Jude and the boys are on their annual sojourn to Neptune Beach, Fl, to visit the Baines family. I'm reflecting, just a bit, before I go the airport to pick them up in a couple of hours.
While I enjoyed the down time, I'm ready for them to get home. A few moments ago, J.P. called as they were about to board the airplane for the return flight to Nashville. "Dad," he said. "When we get home, can we throw the baseball or go to the gym for a workout?" Music to my ears. "Of course," I responded. One of the advantages, I think, of raising boys who aren't tethered to a screen (television, iPad, iPhone) is that want to "do" things instead of just "watching" things. I want my boys to be participants in life, not merely observers.
Probably the highlight of my weekend, strangely enough, was finally finding the time to read Wright Thompson's wonderful, insightful long form piece on New Orleans ten years after Hurricane Katrina. Yesterday, after going to the office and working for most of the day, I sat in a quiet corner of the bar at Edley's, had a couple of beers (Oskar Blues Pinner Throwback IPA's) and read the entire article. Amazing work and a perfect example of why Wright Thompson is one of the best writers working today.
The link to the story is here: http://espn.go.com/espn/feature/story/_/id/13479768/wright-thompson-life-loss-renewal-new-orleans-10-years-hurricane-katrina.
Yesterday morning, I ran 7 + miles on the trails at Shelby Bottoms. I've been getting out there more lately, which has been nice. Finally, I'm getting into a rhythm, I think, and finding some balance between work/family/running. Getting up early, well before 6 a.m., and running has made a big difference. It's funny, but running five days last week and getting 20 miles in is a big accomplishment when, a few years ago, that was my routine.
During my trail run, I listened to a fantastic "This American Life" podcast, "9 + 10." Ira Glass and crew took a walking tour of the Lower Ninth Ward, ten years after Hurricane Katrina and the devastation it wrought. By the end of the podcast, I was in tears as I listened to a recording of the reunion of two friends who hadn't seen each other in the decade since the flooding that followed the hurricane. It was beautiful radio.
The link to the podcast is here: http://www.thisamericanlife.org/radio-archives/episode/565/lower-9-10.
All right, enough reflection. It's time to stop by the house and head to the airport. I want to hug my boys.
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