Entry 5: Dead apes and Digiorno

Scooter loves games, but of all the ones we play (The T-shirt Game, Wubba Keep-Away, Classic Fetch, etc.) the one that makes his tail wag with the most fervor is “Dead Nucky.”

Scooter & a lifeless Nucky

Nucky is the name of Scooter’s toy ape. This evening, after the sacred ritual of marking the tree in the front yard, Scooter busted through the front door, made a bee-line to his toy box, and made it very clear what he wanted. He dragged Nucky to the middle of the living room by his squeaky ape neck, violently shook his squeaky ape body, then proudly dropped him on the floor so I could see the ape was dead and ready to be played with.

It’d been a long day for me, and just as Scooter was presenting me with Nucky’s lifeless body, I was taking my first bite into a fresh, hot piece of pizza. I was tired, but I told Scooter, “Dude, first I need you to know that I see you. Second, I’ve had a long day and this pizza is hot off the pizza-maker, so I’m going to eat it before it gets cold. As soon as I’m finished, I will play with you and Nucky’s corpse.”

I ate quickly.

Sadly, by the time I finished my pizza the moment had passed. Scooter was now more interested in laying down on the couch and watching Mad Men. I told my wife, “I should have let the pizza get cold.” She agreed.

I think one of the greatest joys we have in life is bringing joy to those we love and care about. Every now and then, we’re lucky enough to have that opportunity served up to us on a silver platter.  If we let those magical opportunities pass us by, and don’t take advantage of them … we’ll regret it. Scooter reminds me that when we have an obvious opportunity to make someone we love happy, and to bring joy to their life, we should take it. There’s no pizza on Earth that can compare with the joy of someone you sincerely care about (especially when you’re responsible for delivering it).

Dreaming of Jon Hamm

Until next time, Scooter loves you.