Listing

 My wife is a list maker. She keeps track of things by writing them down. My reaction to this is to try and get out in front of tasks that might make a list, thereby eliminating them from their appearance on a list. That is my strategy for "to-do" lists. The suggestion I made in response to the exasperation this engendered was to suggest that we make a monthly list of all the things we have accomplished. Sometimes it has big things like painting the house on it. Other times we are congratulating ourselves for getting the trash to the curb on time. Some months are more vigorous than others. 

This month's list includes the completion of the new edition of the book she wrote with her mother, The Winning Family. When I say "completion," this is kind of a mixed bag. The actual publication date is still ahead, with last minute edits, additions and all the flurry that takes place in the month before a book can actually appear on the shelves of your local bookstore. Or online. Or wherever books can be purchased for a very reasonable price. 

What I am suggesting here is that while the list on our kitchen whiteboard says "Winning Family Completed," that's not entirely true. This draft with a few remaining tweaks will become that. Eventually. But maybe the thing to remember is that in the thirty-five years since the book first appeared, a lot of changes have occurred. For example, Al Gore's Internet was still just a rumor back in 1987. My wife was my very good friend, but not my wife yet. The family we were destined to create ourselves was not a fully formed idea. She was busy editing and illustrating and consulting for her mother. I was installing office furniture. 

This time around, my wife is a veteran of the parenting game. She has raised a son, with a little help, and has now been promoted to co-author status. I even got in on the act, insisting that they include the Bruce Springsteen quote, "Nobody wins unless everybody wins." The decades that have passed between the initial publication of The Winning Family have seen a generation grow and learn. Now it's time to tell the stories of what happened since. 

For example, I wasn't an elementary school teacher thirty-five years ago. I didn't encounter a lot of parents in my line of work, crawling under desks and moving file cabinets. Not that I was aware of, anyway. Now I do. All the time. And I'm glad that there is help out there for those who could really use it. And if you're interested in supporting this cause, or just finding out a little bit more, you can click on their Kickstarter link. 

And now I've got something else to add to the list.