How is everybody doing?

Just checking in are usually the first three words I sputter when leaving voicemails. Please note, nobody (including me) seems to listen to voice mails anymore, we just call back and say, hey, you called?…but that’s a different Swoon. I tend to check in with my peeps often, a quick call leads to being an ear to someone in need and allows me to get off some steam. Very inexpensive therapy.

Sesame Street was big in our house, the show, the songs, the little plastic “guys”, the stuffed animals…big. I once ran across O’Hare airport between flights and jumped back on our first plane to retrieve “Erniebert” from the seat back pocket. Risking being arrested was much more pleasant an option than vacationing for a week with out those dolls. To be fair, Ernie and Bert did seem rather relieved to be rescued. Melmo, was my Olivia’s favorite, she found him both hysterical and the best cuddle in town. Every time she met him she went up and just hugged him, not understanding why we would interrupt her for a picture. Melmo…aka Dad in a very smelly rented costume…showed up at her 2nd birthday party. If he had been part kangaroo and she could have just stayed in his pouch, life would have been perfect.

Elmo posted on X this past Monday…now that is something anyone time traveling from 1950 would not understand. I am not an X person but I am a New York Times person. Today they had an article about Elmo’s post which was…”Elmo is just checking in! How is everybody doing?”

There were thousands and thousands of responses…Elmo, I’m depressed and broke. Elmo my dog rolled around in goose feces. Elmo this morning I had a good grapefruit, Elmo each day the abyss we stare into grows a unique horror. Wow, this is a lot for a little red monster to take on…but he asked. According to X the question was seen more than 140 million times and people actually took the time to answer, to be heard.

Being heard. I follow a Travel the National Parks page (I’m told that dreaming about the future is healthy). A parent posted something like Can I ask a question and get honest answers? I see all these pictures of families and they look so happy, the kids look like they WANT to be there. Is it just my kids who fight constantly, whine, and seem bored to tears much of the time? The responses were 99% you are not alone, go on the vacation, get through the tough times, the kids will remember the good, there is always good. 1 percent did have perfect children (ha, sure they did). I love that this person reached out and for the most part people heard her pain and responded with truth. Sometimes just saying our hurt aloud makes it less painful, and sometimes we find out we are not alone.

Walking to school the other day my little guy asked me, Kafrine, would you rather see the world in no colors or not be able to taste anything? I was floored. One because he was curious about my thoughts and two, because wow, that is a big question for a little guy. I asked him how that question came to him, and he replied YouTube of course.

Of course.

Little red monsters, YouTube prompts. Quick texts…checking in matters. And if you were wondering… I would rather not taste anything. Colors both vibrant and muted bring me crazy amounts of joy. I would miss the memories that come with food, but I would also be a size 6, and that’s a win. Which would you pick?