At the End of the Day

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I've been growing increasingly sick of the saying, "At the end of the day."

Yesterday on the Howard Stern show one of his guests said it about ten times. I switched to ESPN and the guy they were interviewing said it a half dozen times. It's not yet anywho-ha, but it's getting there.

Speaking of my beautiful wife I can tell that she is a bit out of sorts lately and its all because the first bird is getting ready to fly the coop.

Matt is not really flying the coop, but he is going to be heading off to college next week, and I know my wife well enough to know that she is out of her head with worry and concern.

At the end of the day there isn't a lot we can do now. Together we have raised a smart, slightly common sense-challenged young man who has no idea what the hell is waiting for him out there. But he thinks he does, and that has to count for something.

I remember the day I left for college. I was a mess, actually. I was going to miss my friends. My buddy Jeff and I were together every day during our junior and senior years of high school. We played a lot of golf, drank a bunch of beer and talked about women.

We are doing the same things now, nearly thirty years later.

Still, I remember that first night in my college bed in Erie. I remember thinking, "I miss Mom."

Not sure why that thought sticks with me, but it was an overpowering feeling on that first night away.

Then I met Fluff, Rosie, and Gag. We got drunk and life unfolded from there.

I'm sure that Matt will be fine. He will certainly see some things that we have shielded him from in his nearly problem-free upbringing. He leaves with a good head on his shoulders and a true chance to succeed.

But at the end of the day, my beautiful wife will be a wreck. Oh, I know that she will put on a brave face as he gets out of the car, but she's going to cry too.

I know it.

The thing about my wife is that she can not be any more dedicated to these little hoodlums. She sacrifices a lot to make sure that their every need is handled in a timely fashion and God knows she has so much more patience than me when it comes to listening to them gripe.

So, at the end of the day, where does it leave us?

One less mouth to feed on a daily basis, but I certainly feel that there are going to be a number of trips to Olean.

"I booked the hotel for parents weekend," Kathy told me the other day.

"He hasn't even left yet!" I said.

At the end of the day, she is going to be counting the minutes until she sees his goofy, all-knowing face again.

I enjoy seeing my wife's dedication, but at the end of the day, I'm probably going to laugh when she has tears in her eyes on the way home from dropping him off to start the best four years of his life.

At the end of the day.

Comments

Larry L said…
I went through this three years ago with my daughter. I think it is a little different with a daughter. Don't tell Kathy, but she has never lived back home since. My wife still sheds a tear or two when we have to say goodbye again after a visited for dinner. She has grown up a lot over the three years and we are very proud of her.
19 August, 2011
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