My Perfect Day

You ever have a perfect day and not even realize it? Or perhaps you were just to busy in the moment to really capture how great it was. I've come to realize that I had what I consider a perfect day not long ago.

I woke up at 5 am. I went to NYC bagel and was the first one there and it was freezing outside as I waited for them to open the doors.

I had all this anxiety the night before but I felt completely calm as I made 3 large wagers while they prepared 2 bagels. French toast with peanut butter and egg and bacon, hold the cheese.

I drank my coffee with 2 sugars and got a text asking where I was from Yee. I never wake up early on a Tuesday and she was startled I was missing. She confirmed that I was missed as she got the dogs ready for their walk with their little coats.

I hurried home, snuck them the 2nd bagel while she showered to get ready for work. She gave me a kiss and the dogs 3 kisses each and accused me of giving them treats which I vihametly denied and off we all went.

The cold never bothers me but on this particular morning as the temperature read 11 degrees on my phone I didn't even feel the need to bundle up while listened to a new mix of music I had been working on while both Sooz, Oliver and I made our way to Harvey Park.

On the way back up Harvard the Mayor (he's a neighbor who works out 4 hours a day but spends 3 and half hours talking to everyone at the gym about his 170 pound weight loss journey) stopped to make sure Id be at the gym soon, I assured him I would be.

I dropped the dogs off and gave them the remainders of the bagel they only got half way done with when mom interrupted us and I had to hide it.

Off to the gym where I struggled through 45 minutes of a new best of album recommendation from pitchfork and found a track I actually loved by the end. Cardio was over and I did 4 sets of chest and 4 sets of triceps and confirmed with Bret that he was still coming for Lunch at pho 96 at 1230.

Hurried home and showered and looked at donbest quickly to confirm that all 3 bets had +CLV, not that I cared in the Sac game. I knew that was a good bet.

I watched 30 minutes of complete garbage reality TV to make sure I could keep up with my sister Danielle and Yee. I tell them I hate it but I watch every minute like it's the sweatiest of 4th quarters ever.

Hurried out the door giving both dogs there confirmation that Dad would be right back. The heat was set to 76 because Oliver prefers a hot house when Mom's at work.

I arrive at pho 96 early as usual and in walks Pat. Pat is a longtime friend who has been sober for 5 months and is just getting it together, again. I look around to see if I'm having a prank pulled on me as I didn't invite him and he lives a hour away. I stand up and we embrace each other and in walks Teddy.

Teddy is about my favourite person ever. Owns a power plant and we hiked all of summer 2018 together and outside of Brets wedding in 2022 we hadn't been able to link up as he has to be in Fresno for half of the year to operate his companies power plant. He and I almost died together on a hike and it's my favorite friendship memory.

Then one by one all of my friends who live in Denver who I haven't seen in ages keep showing up to pho 96. The same pho restaurant I eat at once a week alone but where Bret and I ate at 3 times a week for 9 years. Him plotting to take over the Denver real estate market and me planning to make it as a sports bettor.

In walks Bret a half hour later but the man of honor who pulled off the impossible. To get all of his friends in Denver together for a lunch.

We all made fun of Tony P never figuring out how to use chopsticks despite living in Asia for a year... Black men get that pass!! His favorite line came back to life. Can't bike around Wash park but can always get a fork!!

We all make fun of each other. We all have the dirt on each other. Cactus Eddie because in Nicaragua I grabbed a cactus thinking it was a guard rail. Embarrassed, I denied grabbing a cactus and had to go see a Dr when my hand swelled to a baseball mit, that was 2015. I'm still cactus Eddie!

We all sat for 2 hours never talking about work, money, problems in life. Just reminiscing on the craziest parts of our pasts and congratulating Teddy on proposing, discussing how I'm going to propose.

I never wanted to leave, I don't think any of us did.

I made my way home and called my Dad like I do every Tuesday and he was so happy I called as he received the new recliner massager I sent him as congratulations on 25 years of sobriety. He never brought up politics and instead told me of his new found love for walking a lake he never knew existed.

I got home in time to start making dinner for Yee and I made my chicken cacciatore with a sweet potato dish from my sister's recipe book she gave me for date nights.

I listened to my Cfb podcasts and got lost in transfer portal thoughts and was completely content with the way college football has changed and how much work that means for me and well, everyone.

I looked out the back window and it was flurrying a little as Sooz made sure the squirrels knew she was bad ass even though they've been taunting her and winning the chase game since she was 6 weeks old. I ignored her barks for a change.

Yee called and wanted me to know she would be kicking my ass at pool that night. Every other Tuesday is competive date night. We bowl, play pool, mini golf, swim laps, we even tried the blink competition and whoever wins has to switch chore roles for a week... She really hates to mow lawns and I really loathe doing dishes by hand... It makes absolutely no sense, we have a perfectly good dishwasher!

I never turned on any games as I waited for her to arrive for dinner. I simply didn't care, for one night I just didn't have it in me to ruin my mood on the outcome of 3 games that I'll never remember four months from then. I do remember the Dallas/sac under as I bet a angle around that time every game for maybe 10 games straight, it did okay.

We ate and talked about our days and how both were great but in different ways and we of course made fun of each other, as always.

She snuck some food to the dogs as I changed. I heard the treat jar and her whisper, go outside as they both ran through the dog door.

We go to a ghetto bowling alley in the worst neighborhood because they need the business as she always assures me as I park and lock the doors 3 times with the fob.

She's 4'10 and she never doesn't crack me up using that long bridge cue stick but she's not bad and even if she was I suddenly can never make the eight ball until she catches up.

She has her one drink and gets tipsy immediately as she celebrates her victory and talks trash the whole way home. 4-3 sucka! You really think you can beat me! She's ALI and I'm Frazier. Maybe next week I won't scratch on the 8ball 3 times in one night.

We get home and one more family trip around the block so the dogs can say hello to no one in particular.

I check the scores and go 2-1. I do exactly no work for the next day. It's been too perfect of a day to not live in the present as we get into bed and I forget the worry of the screen, the numbers and the injuries.

No dogs in the bedroom on Tuesdays.

Life can change so fast. I think about this day, almost everyday currently. Not that my life is bad but the dynamics of this day could never happen currently.

Find something you love and let it kill you- Bukowski

Thank you so much for the space. Your friend, Eddie