March 25, 2022

 

A CASE OF UH OH’S!

 

I figure in every person’s lifetime, they get a case of uh oh’s – 24 in a case.

 

We’re driving down Interstate 95 - going 13 miles over the speed limit – listening to the raidio – minding our own business - just as we go flying by a state trooper – obviously with his radar on.

 

“Uh oh!” is our immediate reaction.

 

We’re watching the evening news and there is a segment on breast cancer or prostate cancer or melanoma.   We go, “Uh oh!”  Or we’re taking a shower and we feel a lump in our neck and we go, “Uh oh!”

 

Or we’re at a family picnic.  We start talking to our cousin Tom.

 

He answers our “How’s the family question with, “Didn’t you hear?”

 

And we begin to hear him tell about his marriage.

 

“We separated. Then we got back together a bit.”

 

We get nervous a bit when he says, “I’m scared. She could reject me again.”

 

He adds, “I won’t date. Yet I don’t want any more rejections.  Half a loaf is better than none. She can be lovey dovey.  Then she starts screaming at me. I just don’t know….”

 

We say, “Uh oh!”

 

Life has lots of them. At least 24.

 

Like seeing the principal. Like getting a call from the IRS. Like the phone ringing at 2:30 in the morning – knowing our kid is driving back to college and it’s an icy night in January.

 

“Uh oh!”

 

Like being on vacation and we can’t find our wallet.

 

But I suppose we’ve also had the opposite. Total glorious surprises. What do we call them?

 

“You wouldn’t believe this ….”

 

In a life time we  have at least two dozen of these as well.  Isn’t that the case – 24 in a case as well?

 

“Surprise!”

 

 

© Andy Costello, Reflections 2022