Thought For Today

I am so glad that you have found this site and I hope you will find encouragement and joy as you read through my thoughts on God, family and life.

Sunday, June 24, 2012

Call of Nature



Seeing wonders of nature.
The other day our family was out at one of our many parks in the Winona area.  Located in the middle of the park was a beautiful little lake with a walking and bike path surrounding it. We brought the scooters along for the kids to ride with us, while Anne and I walked the paths around the park at the same time.  We had gone around one end of the lake, and then we headed back towards the children’s play area, but the kids wanted to go through the floating walkway in the middle of the swamp first.  While going through the slough area, in the past, we have seen turtles, frogs and various wildlife and fauna that would otherwise have been missed when taking the easier route near the lake.  Did I include mosquitos; they were there as well.
Wishing they had brought swim suits.
We were having so much fun walking with nature that we decided to hike to the other end of the park as well.  When reaching the far side of the lake, Will looked at me and said, “Daddy, I really have to go to the bathroom!”  I knew from experience that when he says that, he was in dyer straits.  In fully understanding the urgency of the situation, I became desperate in wondering how we were going to make it to the bathroom, on the other side of the park in time.  I knew I could not run fast enough on foot with Will, that is while he speeded along with his scooter to the public bathroom, which was about 3/8s of a mile away.  Once in awhile though, inspiration sparks its light on me while in desperate moments.  Anne seemed to know what I was thinking, we both ran up to Abby on her scooter and Anne looked over at her and said, “Daddy needs your scooter sweetheart.  Do you want to walk back with me?”  I didn’t wait for Abby’s response; I just grabbed her scooter and with great effort, caught up with Will already heading to the bathrooms. 

Keeping up!
In looking back, it must have appeared rather strange to bystanders walking by, me buzzing along with one leg pushing a little Barbie scooter, while my other leg was desperately trying to balance my body while traveling at close to what seemed like light speed. In the process while trying to balance myself, I glanced down and the scooter plate sign read:  Do not exceed 50 pounds weight on this scooter.  Boy was I pushing the limits of technology!  I am really not sure how I ended up at the public restroom without crashing into some inanimate object, or bystander watching me speed past them. 
When Will and I arrived at the public restroom, I grabbed Will and Abby’s scooter while saying to Will, “You go into the bathroom, I will hold on to the scooters.”  He looked at me squirming and dancing and said, “Daddy, I want you to come in with me.”  I could see that the bathroom was large and he was nervous about being alone in there.  I didn’t think there would be time for a lengthy dissertation on being brave, so I hurriedly went in with him.  Grabbing the two scooters, I opened the door wildly, all the while having the scooters swinging back and forth out of control.  Upon entering the room, I noticed a gentleman drying his hands.  He looked up and opened his mouth in bewilderment; he then stared down at the two scooters swinging dangerously close to him.  I had not expected to see anyone near the door upon entering the bathroom, so I abruptly stopped and we stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity.  I could just imagine what he might be thinking, “A grown man with a pink and red scooters, not only is he too old to ride these kids toys, this strange person is bringing them into the bathroom as well, what is going on here?”  I had to say, I was rather embarrassed during this very awkward moment.  I then realized that this was not the time to be self-absorbed.  I quickly encouraged Will to find a bathroom stall and he proceeded at a run with his urgent needs. 
 As we were leaving the restroom, I realized my pulse rate was becoming near normal again, and my blood pressure was out of the critical zone at that point.  I then proceeded to assist Will out the door, but not before almost running into another gentleman coming in.  He too stared at the scooters in my hand, and then proceeded quickly on past, hoping I would not talk to him.  I looked back and I could see him surveying the bathroom for tracks on the floor, and possible damage to the rest of the facility before proceeding on to greater things. 

All in all, disaster was averted and though my ego was somewhat bruised, I felt rather good about saving the day for Will.  Children are a treasure, they are found in blue jeans, tee shirts, little dresses and wonder.
Enjoying the wildflowers.