I’m Not Going To Rust

Saturday, I was planning on getting up early to mow the lawn before hitting the road to Dallas—but the gods had other plans. Early morning storms decided to gift our area with… more storms. It was raining before the sun had even peeked over the horizon. Guess I wasn’t mowing the lawn.

It woke us up with a fright—hail had been spotted in the area. Oh damn, do we need to find cover for Teegan’s truck? I voted no because the radar showed the worst of it sliding just north of us. No need to scurry for shelter every time a storm rolls through.

I let the dogs out so they could do their business before the heavy rain hit. My God, the temperature had drastically dropped from the day before. It was fucking cold for mid-April—like, in the forties. Yikes.

That forced me to reevaluate my travel bag. I had planned on shorts and T-shirts. The shorts were definitely not an option. Most of the time would be spent in the car, but those brief moments outside? Chilly. Jeans it was, with a hoodie just in case.

Teegan had a dance show at noon, so while Yvette went to watch that, I made sure all the laundry was done and the vehicles were gassed up. I also ran out and grabbed snacks for the road and the hotel—you have to have some grub in the room. With how long the show lasted, I managed to get everything knocked out. The gods were now shining upon me.

The road to Dallas is pretty straightforward. Since it was still raining a bit, I took the wheel. It really wasn’t that bad—the overcast skies made for a cool, easy-on-the-eyes drive… aside from the wild traffic and insane drivers, of course. Still, I rather enjoyed it.

We got to Dallas just before 8 but still had about four hours to burn before heading to the airport. I decompressed with an ice-cold beer and a hot shower. God, I needed that after the drive.

We decided to grab dinner at a place we found a little over a year ago—Maple Landing. Once again, it was a real treat. The Brussels sprouts? Holy fuck—the best I’ve ever had. Truly a gift from the gods.

Their flight arrived just before midnight, and it was so damn good to have baby Alaya back in Texas with us. She wanted me to hold her—and she calls me “Pa Pa” now!!! My heart was full.

Back at the hotel, she wanted to play for a bit before bed. Who can blame her after a travel day like that? I even managed to get her to eat some ham and cheese I’d brought along. We probably didn’t get to bed until closer to 2 a.m.

The room faced east, so the morning sun came blasting through the curtains with unholy force, robbing us of any chance to sleep in. Since we were up, we might as well hit that complimentary breakfast. It wasn’t bad, actually—cheese omelets and sausage. At least my poor diabetic ass could work with that. Zero carbs, baby.

Before hitting the road, there was a mandatory stop at Trader Joe’s. We grabbed some goodies that we have absolutely no room for in our refrigerator. Oh well—future us will figure it out. The food will be excellent when the time comes.

The drive back wasn’t bad. Yvette had the wheel under control, and the rest of us dozed off. I knew it was coming. As a passenger, staying awake is a losing battle—especially on that little sleep. It’s not great sleep, but it passes the time. One stop later, we were home.

And what better way to celebrate getting home than immediately mowing the lawn? It was cool, cloudy, and had to be done. More rain was in the forecast, and if I didn’t get a handle on it, my yard was about to become the neighborhood eyesore. Twenty minutes after getting home, I was out there mowing. The fucker put up one hell of a fight—it did not want to be cut—but by the gods, I prevailed.

That evening, we all kind of fended for ourselves. I dug into one of my Trader Joe’s purchases. It felt like the right move after a long, busy weekend—just be lazy and don’t cook. And just like that, the weekend was over in a flash.

At the start of any work week, I always wonder whether I should jump in headfirst or feet first.

Monday rolled in cold, rainy, and gloomy. I dressed more like it was winter than spring. The morning was actually pretty great, though. I threw on some rainy-day music and drove around paying campus invoices.

For lunch, Yvette and I hit Taco Bueno, and afterward we had our Staff Senate meeting. A real waste of time, if I’m being honest. It’s nice getting a direct address from the president about what’s going on around campus—but beyond that, it doesn’t have much going for it.

Wednesday was our morning meeting—which I didn’t know a damn thing about until I got to work and realized that’s where everyone was. Communication is piss-poor in my office. Actually, on campus in general. At the meeting, I learned about working in the heat. It was the same presentation I’ve seen every year for the last ten or so years. A complete waste of a morning.

It was Earth Day, so the university had a little event going on—jazz music, fruit salads, giveaways, and more. I grabbed a shirt, a tote bag, and a succulent. Pretty damn cool that they’ve started celebrating Earth Day every year. The campus needs more of these kinds of get-togethers. Just good old-fashioned fun.

I’ve always called it “Riley Dog Day” since my old dog Riley passed away on Earth Day. The day will always mean something more than just a celebration of the Earth. And after this year’s Earth Day, it carries even more meaning—for me, and for others close to me.

I can’t even muster the words to write about the rest of the week because it hits too hard and is too personal. Life can change in the blink of an eye. You wake up expecting an ordinary day—just another routine—but it turns into one of the worst days of your life. It’s unsettling how fast it happens, how unexpected it is. One moment everything is normal, and the next, the breath is knocked out of you.

Living in the moment is something we often fall short of, thanks to all the curveballs thrown at us throughout the day. We get busy with our lives and all the small things that come with them, and we don’t take the time to appreciate what’s right in front of us. We move too fast through this life. Sometimes we need to hit the brakes and take a single moment in. Everything can be taken for granted—often, that’s just how we live. But in a single second, everything you thought you knew can change. The most unexpected things can shift your entire world. Live and love at every chance you get.