EARLY TO BED

Remember when you were little and you couldn't wait to grow up so you could stay up as late as you wanted at night? I do. I remember thinking that when I grew up I would never go to bed before 10pm.  I would sit on the couch after supper, eat corn chips, drink beer and watch TV.  That's what it seemed like my Dad did. Every time I came downstairs to pee, after I'd been sent to bed, I'd see Dad, sitting on the couch, eating corn chips, telling me to be quiet and go back to sleep.  He looked so relaxed, one hand on the remote, the other wrapped around a beer.  I desperately wanted to be in his shoes and I couldn't wait.  

Now, here I am in my thirties myself, and the only thing my hands wrap around after 10pm is the pen I use to cross things off the "to do" list sitting on the counter!  Sooo much to do, so little time! True, the things on my list are all fun things, so it's hard to feel sorry for me.  But even fun things like, walking my dog, riding my horse, taking riding lessons, grocery shopping, teaching Bootcamps, talking to friends on the phone, talking to Nic, in Nepal, on the phone, finding jelly-bellies at Walmart, wedding dress shopping, running, calling Oasis Weddings Mayan, need to get done in the waking hours.  There just doesn't seem to be enough of them to do all of that and have time to sit on the couch eating corn chips, drinking beer.  How did Dad do it? Maybe that's just the way I remember it....or maybe it is just the male way...even as I write this at 11:02pm, Marty is laying on the couch a bag of caramel popcorn in one hand, the remote in the other......