Herkamer had barely opened his eyes on Saturday morning when he noticed “the list” hanging from the nightstand next to the bed. It was the list of lists the “honey-do list”, and Herkamer knew it's required allegiance, it's expected fulfillment, and it's demanding of time. Exhaustion set in before he even started, and he turned to try for just a few winks more before he had to role out of bed.
Suddenly loud clanging pots and pans startled Herkamer from his restarted daze, and as his eyes flew open once again, there stood Gertrude with a kitchen spoon and two pans. “Time to get up sleepy-head” she stated and continued, “we're already getting a late start. It's six thirty!”. “Six thirty?” Herkamer mumbled, “on a Saturday morning?” he questioned. “Yes, yes, yes. There's lots to do today, and you need to get started early or you will run out of daylight. So, up, up, up, Herky. Let's get going,” Gertrude stated as she left the room for a moment. Herkamer rose slowly and looked at the list.
Mow the grass. Trim the bushes. Get flowers from the store and plant them on the east end of the house. Put ant killer on the numerous ant beds in the yard. Pull the weeds off the fence in the yard. Clean and sort out the garage, and that was just the start. Herkamer stopped for just a moment, looked into the sky, murmured “why, why why didn't you stop me?”, and plopped down on the bed once again in exasperation.
“Herky, are you up?” he heard questioned from just outside the bedroom door. Herkamer shot up again and said, “Yes, I'm getting dressed” which was his first lie of the day, but he felt justified in his misery. Every Saturday it was the same thing. List after list after list after list. Never was there a day of relaxation, and never was there a day to just watch the ball games. Never was there a day to just take a walk, ride a bike, play some catch, fish, or play tennis or golf. It was always list after list after list.
After he sat for a moment more, Herkamer remembered one of his dad's favorite sayings, “All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy”, and in that moment, Herkamer decided there needed to be a change. He shouted loudly for Gertrude to come to his room, and as she walked through the door, he tore the list and said,...
Stay tuned for more of the story tomorrow. Same blog time. Same blog page. Until tomorrow...Why Say more?
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