My dear sweet sensitive son

Yesterday was quite a day for the Dudester but that is not where I need to begin. I need to take you back further than that.

Enter Monday morning.

It was a chilly morning but certainly not uncomfortable with a jacket. The whole family decided to spend some time at the Fort Worth Stock Show and Rodeo on the MLK holiday. We were all in our appropriate garb - cowboy boots - well, everyone but Graham. I don't think anyone noticed but Lynley, but therein lies the problem. She decided we must buy the boy some boots. With some quick shuffling of some budgetary items I was able to eek out just enough to buy the boy some boots. Of course, you may also notice that I will not be eating out anymore this month for lunch and I will be relegated to peanut butter sandwiches. You may want to watch me for signs of salmonella. Regardless, we bought the boy some boots. He put them on and wore them out the store. Bottom-line:

• happy twerp
• happy wife
• poor dad

If you know Graham at all, then you would know that he was very proud of his boots. So much so that he wore them the rest of the day and even made a plea to sleep with them. Trust me, in the realm of strange things this was simply typical.

The next day getting ready for school was as expected. He demanded to wear the boots. This demand was not in a bad way. He was kind and polite. We just knew better than to say no as it would have "bwoken his wittle heart."

Off to school.

When I picked up Graham from school I noticed something different. He was now wearing shorts with his boots. This was a different look than he had when I dropped him off. I certainly would not have let that fly. I would later find out that he had some major over spray issues while visiting the bathroom which required a uniform change. Graham rode out the rest of his day in shorts and cowboy boots. He did so without complaining and tolerated the incident well. For his flexibility and ability to cope in the face of such disaster he earned a praise card from the teachers. All in all, he was downright proud despite his goofy outfit. He was just happy that everyone could see his boots from top to bottom. In his eyes, this was the perfect day.

I wonder what this means to me. What can I learn from this experience? Well, other than the obvious.

I think I am relearning what my 4 year old son so obviously mastered yesterday.

Lessons form a four year old boot and short wearer:

1. Don't sweat the small stuff.
2. Don't worry about the things you can't control.
3. There is always, always, always a silver lining.
4. It is still perspective.

I am thankful for the reminder from my purpose.