T.C.B.

Jay and I would usually talk during the day while the kids were at school. When I felt the question coming,  I used to hurry to get off the phone. By "the question" I mean the dreaded question "what are you doing today?" (not to be confused with the forbidden question "what's for dinner tonight?)

Jay was a list-maker so it was hard for him to understand how this question could feel so overwhelming. As I admitted to my friend last week on the phone, I spent the entire 20 minutes of my phone conversation with her walking in circles looking for leashes to walk the dogs; so inevitably, when Jay asked this question, I usually was walking in circles looking for my car keys or a list or whatever!

Jay liked to ask questions and I knew this was a hard habit for him to break so finally I took it in my own hands and thought of an answer that became my standard response: "T.C.B. Baby. T.C.B." Taking Care of Business. It was a favorite motto of Elvis and became mine too. 

In this response, I found a way to overcome a hurdle and take care of us in my own quirky way that Jay understood. Like most marriages, we had more than one hurdle and while Junebug was the little girl who fished for hope in the sewer, I could only jump so high.

Today I have been Taking Care of Business and I wish Jay were here to ask me what I was doing. He would probably laugh because I have moved almost my entire office to the screened-in porch so I can be outside. I usually only see red birds in my yard but today I am pretty sure I saw a blue bird. I said to it as if I was talking to Jay "T.C.B. Baby. T.C.B." and then he flew away.

Love recognizes no barriers. It jumps hurdles, leaps fences, penetrates walls to arrive at its destination full of hope. - Maya Angelou

Well It's True That We Love One Another by The White Stripes. We used to love blasting this song. Our honeymoon in St. John's.