dewdrops in the garden

Right after I turned in next week's Games of our Lives this morning, I turned to my rather long list of things I want and need to write about. I was prepared to have a very productive and creatively satisfying day.

Yeah. That lasted as long as it took me to glance out the window.

"Man," I thought, "it's beautiful today. The last thing I want to do is sit here and write."

"Then you should go outside and enjoy the day," Bad Wil said.

"I don't know," I said. "I spent my entire day yesterday playing poker, and I should really get some of this stuff done."

"Why are you a freelance writer if you can't completely blow off for a few hours and enjoy a truly beautiful day?" Bad Wil said.

He had a point.

Anne came out of the back of the house, half-asleep, and nuzzled my neck at the breakfast table.

"Is there coffee?" She said, in a tiny not-quite-awake voice.

"Yeah," I said. "There's coffee."

She rubbed her eyes and walked into the kitchen.

"Did the kids get to school okay?" She said, while she poured herself a cup.

I sipped my own and said, "Yeah. I told you I would take care of it so you could sleep in today."

"Did you --"

"Anne. They're fine." Man, you take the kids to the racetrack instead of to school one time, and you never live it down.

She took her first sip from the Crabby 'till I get my Coffee mug, and sat down across from me.

"Dude." Bad Wil said. "You should take Anne to do something outside today."

I looked at her. She blinked at me and held the mug close to her nose. It steamed up her glasses. She looked --

"She looks pretty goddamn cute, doesn't she?" Bad Wil said.

"Dude!" I said.

"What?" She said.

"Er, nothing." I said. "Do you have to work today?"

"Nope." She said.

Before she could tell me how she planned to spend the entire day doing crap around the house that neither of us wants to do, I said, "Will you go out with me today?"

"You mean like on a date?"

I smiled. "Yeah. A date."

"Don't you have to work?"

"I'm entirely stircrazy, and sick to death of being stuck in the house. Any 'work' I do today is going to suck because I really don't want to be here." I said. "Besides, why am I a freelance writer if I can't completely blow off for a few hours and enjoy a truly beautiful day with my wife?"

Bad Wil pumped his fist silently in the air.

"Well, I was going to do some stuff around the house," she said.

I may have pouted, just a little bit.

"But I would love to have a date with my husband, especially on a beautiful day like this."

I closed up my computer, and finished my coffee. Anne finished hers, we both got ready to go, and we drove up to San Marino, where we spent the afternoon at the Huntington Library. On a date.

Comments

[GDISTORM]

Wil:

I don't really know, but "bad Wil" doesn't sound so bad to me. Maybe its because, in a small way, it reminds me of me. I do teach 3 face-to-face classes at a community college in Michigan. But, I also teach 2 on-line courses for them, an on-line class for a 4-year college in Mississippi and and a rotating set of courses taught on a 4-month interval for on-line only university. So in many ways I am doing kind of free-lancing work where I am forced to set my own schedule. It lets me set my own schedule a lot and lets that "bad Will" out occasionally. At least in terms of what I need and should get done. It works out well for my youngest son, since he has pervasive developmental disorder, so it keeps my scedule open enough so that I can drop him off at school and pick him up every day. That sort of attention is an important thing I think. Anyway, from the pics in the link it sure looked like a great way and place to have some relxation with your significant other. Its important to set aside quality time like that. But, that just a random opinion from the upper midwest. Good luck then, with that work schedule, and the "good Wil" over the rest of the week!

[starshine_diva]

Awwwww.... I need some of that action!

When you're in a relationship for so long, you really do need those "lets pretend we don't live together and need to clean the bathroom" days. Or even just a few hours.

Hey, if Wil is taken... can I have Bad Wil?

[TitanKT]

Oh man, you two are so adorable you watered my eye.

The good me is so happy the two of you got your day out together.

The bad me is experiencing a full-body halo of vivid green jealousy (that I don't have someone to have a lovely afternoon with).

[jadeddo]

Speaking from the point of view of the wife who usually plans on doing a lot of crap around the house... having your husband suddenly decide to make the day fun is a wonderful thing. That you have the ability to do it is very lucky. It's not a Bad Wil who makes these suggestions, it's Seize the Day Wil.

[Syndelin]

That's so sweet! Good for you two. I hope you have many more days like that together. =)

[cryssyer]

Ooooh! I have a GREAT idea....write a book for husbands to help them plan romantic escapes like this one with their wives (or really, anyone that has a significant other). The most romantic outing I get is a trip to the local home improvement store to "browse"!
If that is your Bad Wil coming out - you should let him out more often :)

[Farmboy03]

Hey Wil - what camera do you use to get all these great pictures with? I've always thought that your pics were really sharp. My camera just died and am shopping around for a new one.

[Cherry Indigo]

Very cool.

[MJ]

Bad Wil is a genius.
Perhaps you should call him, "Slightly distracted and procrastinating" Wil instead.
Way to go playing hooky!

[OliverJ]

Hi Wil.

Since when do you wear this trimly little beard? I´m honest: It makes you older than 34. Be careful ... the kids may say "grandpa" *lol*
By the way, I have the same sort of "facefur".
Seemed to be a nice trip out there in San Marino.

[jhankins]

Awwww... You made me saw "Awwww!" out loud! I think that romance-idea book has some merit :)

[heather]

and I am thinking that you said you wanted to spend the day outside,why did you go to a library? I swear only in CA would a library look like a friggin garden oasis, even our "botanical garden" here in NC doesn't look anywhere near that good, much less our libraries

[Kristen]

I love the Huntington! My husband proposed to me there in the Japanese Garden. Kudos to you for being so romantic with your wife. Many men should follow your example!

[Lex]

Bad Wil certainly had a great idea. Hope you had a great day spending it with your wife.

[priscilla]

How lovely.

It is rare to enjoy a low humidity day in Houston and Monday was the day to take advantage of.... my husband took a half a day off of work. He suggested we go to the park. He played a round of Frisbee golf while I read a book. Like you, I cherish those moments.

on a side note: i finished reading ‘just a geek’. i enjoyed your honesty and humor. keep it up!

[Liz]

What beautiful pictures. I, too, would like to know what camera you use. Pretty amazing shots. They look like postcards.

Nice that you both took a day off. Think of it as a mental health day, rather than a Bad Wil induced day.

[fire in the disco!]

how wonderfully sweet...and i so know the feeling! my boy doesn't work weekends now, for the first time in our relationship. last weekend was our first "OMG, we have an entire TWO DAYS OFF together" weekend, and it was lovely! here's to never taking for granted how wonderful our other halves are...

[fire in the disco!]

also, damn-- i wish my library looked like that!

[Baxterboy]

I too wish we had a library like that to go to.
I would have shaven before going on a date though!

[FEJ]

Bad Wil also knows that a date with the wife can help ease the mind and let the creative mind flow, I am sure.

Love the pictures. Remind me of the Japanese Tea Garden in San Francisco. I have yet to go to the Huntington Library, but think you have inspired me to plan the trip.

Thanks!

[Visible Wear]

Haha, totally awesome. I need to listen to my bad self sometimes too. Wait, I phrased that too comically...

[Joe]

Next time my wife wants to do something different, instead of giving her the run-of-the-mill suggestions of dinner, movie, shopping, I'll suggest the library..

Heck, it's free, and no one will kick the back of my seat while I browse through pages of imagination.

Speaking of which, if any of you, while at a movie, put your feet up on the seatbacks in front of you, and I'm in that row, I can feel it.

[tinapickles]

Ok... you get a big fat "awww...!" followed by a tsk and a shake of the head. Bad Wil! Bad!

Secondly... dude, wish Boston had something like that "Library!" I'd get so much work done!

[Becky..Absent Minded Housewife]

My husband and I go to Walmart and consider it a date...

[Myshtuff]

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW.
Also, I know this has nothing to do with anything but I was looking at the pictures of your house and there was a picture of a white samsung printer. I was like Oh My God!!! I have that exact same printer. Weeeeeirrrrdddd. If you want, I can take a picture and send it to you if you want. :)