My Second Career

I have had a second, secret career for the past five and one-half years. A few people have known about it and even fewer have actually benefited from it. I suppose saying anyone benefited from it is a bit presumptuous. It may be that the coming end to that career will be welcomed by all who have endured it.

I wanted to come up with a fun, creative way to say goodnight to Joseph each night when he started college. It was, after all, the first time that we would be separated from the boys for any length of time since they were young. There was a week at summer camp each year, of course, and a couple of extended business trips, but for the most part I had been able to "put the boys to bed" each night. That, too, is a bit of a misnomer because the boys "put us to bed" most of the time once they got older.

The idea struck me out of the blue. Many of my best ideas seem to strike that way. One night I decided to send a funny Haiku text to Joseph before heading to bed.

Thus started my second, secret career as a Haiku writer. Not traditional Japanese Haiku - merely random musings made up of phrases of five syllables, seven syllables and another five syllables.

I have long ago forgotten the contents of that first Haiku. In fact, I have forgotten virtually all of them. I do remember, though, that Joseph thought it was funny. It became a habit. I sent a Haiku to Joseph each night he was away at school. I added Matthew to the text distribution when he went away.

Matthew still gets one pretty much every night. Nothing profound; just a simple Haiku. Five syllables followed by seven syllables with five more to wrap it up. I always add a line at the end reminding them that I love them.

I probably should have actually saved some of them.

Some were poignant.

Some were funny.

Some were silly.

Most were just stupid.

But they were our tradition.

I'm coming to the end of my career. I only have two more weeks of Haikus to go. I suppose this is a microcosm of what it feels like as someone approaches retirement.

I know it's ending but I'm not quite sure what comes next.