Cherrypickers and the absurdity of life

Each night this week I'm falling asleep with tears quietly running down my cheeks and into my ears.  I pray a dear friend will soon be lifted from her pain.  She wrote me today reminding me to enjoy this beautiful weather and the amazing absurdity of life!


This was the perfect day to contemplate absurdity. I won't attach photos, as you will see this clearly in your mind. After morning preschool "work time" the class headed out to the playground. The attention deficit boys and the ones who hadn't done a speck of counting or remembered to flush the toilet were suddenly totally focused.

Tree trimmers were at work on the lot next to the playground, riding up and down in a cherrypicker and wearing safety neon yellow vests and hardhats. All the little boys climbed to the top of the playground fort to watch the men at work. When a guy in the cherrypicker waved at them from on high I was surprised the ecstatic kids didn't wet their pants.  It was better than catching a World Series home run ball.

Near here in Arlington, TX, the World Series continues with sports celebrities and media hype.  I like baseball.  I loved sharing Texas Rangers games with my young sons fifteen years ago in the Pudge Rodriguez/Rafael Palmero/Nolan Ryan/Steve Beuchel years.  Even earlier I loved sharing cherrypicker moments.

I treasure the parenting times spent dining at a giant truckstop near Omaha.  We ate diesel-scented pancakes for supper while our little boys watched big rigs gas up outside.

Got a call at 2:30 today informing me that Dad fell out of bed.  He forgot to use his call button when he needed help.  No injuries.  Just the embarrassment of waiting on the linoleum for the "cherrypicker" hoist to lift him off the floor and put him back into bed.

Life is absurd.  Growing old is the pits, but so is not getting to grow old.  Gather ye rosebuds while ye may and watch the cherrypicker, too, although Robert Herrick didn't actually mention tree-trimming in "To the Virgins, to make much of Time".

Hey, Girl. The hunk with the yellow hardhat is waving at you!  Maybe he'll give you a boost.

© 2010 Nancy L. Ruder