Days Like This

My son just called: He couldn't get his assignments printed in time for some classes. He's got mail in his mailbox, but the combination lock is temperamental and he can't get the door open. He went to the hardware store three times (first time it was closed, second time he wasn't sure what he was supposed to get) before buying the wrong tool anyway for a class. The controller for his video game system has gone missing, apparently borrowed and not yet returned.

We talked for some time about how he might handle each issue. Before we hung up, he had a mental list of things to take care of. He was going to ask someone on the desk downstairs to get his mail out for him. He'll bring his syllabus home this weekend so he can get the tool at our neighborhood hardware store. He'll check again with his roommate to see if he left the controller in someone's room. I think he'll need his own printer, but in the meantime he will have to make a concerted effort to get to the library or other office where he can print homework so he isn't handing in late assignments.

On days like this, I wish I could do more for him. It's such a fine line. He did tell me he could use a neck massage, so I texted him: "I am massaging your neck...you are relaxing...all stress is floating away..."