Shift Change

There is an old adage that says nothing good happens after midnight, however back in my late teens that’s really when it all happened. Whatever the activity was, it always seemed better the later it extended into the early morning hours. As a typical night of hanging with my friends came to a close, I would begin the drive back to my parents’ house understanding the potential for a night owl to meet the early bird.

The final approach involved cutting off my 1974 VW Beetle at the top of the hill about three houses away from my parent’s house. Coasting down the hill, I would turn off the headlights and focus on the visual that would direct my next course of action. My waypoint was the kitchen window that was visible from the driveway. If the light was off, my Dad hadn’t gotten up for work yet. If the light was on, my Dad was taking his first sip of coffee and finding something interesting to read in the newspaper. Obviously, the outcomes and ensuing interaction were very different based on the result of the kitchen light equation. More often than not, the light was still off and I eased upstairs and got into bed. On the occasion that the light was on, it meant it was around 5:15 AM and Dad was up. One specific morning, as I eased down the hill, I noticed the light was on. Coasting into the driveway, I parked the car and made my way into the house through the garage. I’m not sure if it was bravado or stupidity that guided the next series of events. I walked into the house and made my way over to the coffee maker, grabbed a cup, and start pouring the coffee. I leaned over to the kitchen counter where my Dad was sitting and said good morning. His response was classic. With a smirk laced with the experience of a man in his early fifties, he smiled and returned the gesture. We chatted just like any two people would chat over coffee first thing in the morning. It just happened that I was the night shift and he was the day shift. I don’t really remember much about the specifics of the conversation, but I remember the interaction being pretty cool. I can only hope to have the same level of patience and understanding that he did when my kids do the same thing.