my favorite moment of the day

i was lying in my bed this morning at 6am.

the air was cool, and the world was quiet.

the day had just begun,

but i had already decided that this moment,
is my favorite moment of the day.

all of the sudden,

my girl let out a loud shout in her crib.

bad dream?
dw went in and scooped her up
and brought her into mom and dad’s bed.


i asked janie-
“did you have a dream?”
“a dream about trains?”

janie answered
“dream about taw-mess!”
(thomas the train)


“oh- what happened to thomas?”
i asked-

“nike ba movie”
(it was like the movie)
she answered.

“who was thomas with in your dream?”

i asked-
and then janie listed off thomas the train’s friends:
percy, james, gordon, harold, toby.
and that moment, i decided:
“so far, this is my favorite moment of the day.”


and then janie crawled over
to dad’s side of the bed
and laid on my chest and gave me a hug.
and that moment, i decided:
“so far, this is my favorite moment of the day.”


i went to work at 9.
every monday i have this time
where i get together with some middle school boys
and take them out to have lunch and some fun.
dave came along

to learn how to drive a 15 passenger van.

we went to the jungle.
dave was just the right size for the rides:

dave got some tokens
and started looking

for someone to play air-hockey with.
i told him that i would play him.
dave and i have never

played air-hockey against each other.
he told me that he never loses to anyone
when its his first game against them.

he lost to me.

he was upset and reminded me that
that he never loses to anyone
when its his first game against them.
i told him that

i just never lose at all.
he wanted a re-match
to make it even,
but i declined.

and that bothered him.
and that moment, i decided:
“so far, this is my favorite moment of the day.”


the boys and i rode bumper cars,
we played laser-tag,
and then it was time to leave.


mitchell put one more token into the monopoly game
and hit the jackpot.
one-thousand tickets-
coming out at about one per second.
it took forever!

the boys were flipping out and drawing a crowd.
mitchell had painted a beard and mustache

on his face and it was smearing everywhere.
so there he was-

freaking out,
with a smudgy beard, and armfuls of tickets.

i couldn’t help it,
i was cracking up-
and that moment, i decided:
“so far, this is my favorite moment of the day.”


mitchell redeemed all of those tickets for
(surprise!) CANDY!
he walked out of the jungle
with candy falling out of his stuffed pockets.
we got back super-late.
parents were all mad at me-
but at least i had a good laugh
and a victory over dave.


but now that i think about it,
that morning-hug from my girl
was still

my favorite moment of the day.