Last night we went to visit a new baby born to a couple in our church. The hospital was downtown in the Chicago parking version of Catholic purgatory. Kids weren't allowed up to see the baby but we didn't find that out till we were on the way. So... when we got there Gil went up to see the baby and me and the kids began circling the block looking for metered parking... yeah, right.
A few minutes into it I told the kids we should pray and ask Jesus for a parking spot. Jaley thought that was very funny. "Dad, you are so crazy. That's the craziest idea I've ever heard!" So I prayed and then we got silly as we drove around.
A little while later Olivia, 3, began sounding the "potty alarm". Parents, you feel me don't you? So after another 15 minutes of driving and hoping she'd forget that she had a bladder, we reached emergency status. Enter flashers, handicap parking spot and bushes with bark chips. I did the cradle-with-legs-spread position and we managed to deal with the problem without either of us getting wet. I ran her back the to the car cracking up laughing and the kids were pretty amused too.
Next stop--park on Chicago avenue with flashers on and wait for someone to move. As we sat, I began singing a parking song to the tune of your favorite opera aria. As I was singing, a man across the street stole "our parking spot" so the song became a dirge, a funny dirge, about the man who stole our parking spot. Belly laughs from all kids with each new octave and each new verse about the man who stole "our spot".
Then a flash, a vision (it had been about 45 minutes by this point)... there in front of bad-parking-man's spot was an "almost legal spot next" to the park driveway. There was room to squeeze the van in and no signs saying you couldn't park there. I knew I could contest the ticket successfully in the absence of appropriate signage so we took the spot! (Jaley kept asking me, "dad, are we going to get a ticket?")
Now to the swimming part, remember the title? We took the "stanky tunnel" under Lakeshore Drive (if you've ever walked it, you know what I'm talking about) and walked down to the little patch of sandy beach for some fun time. Everyone had clothes on (no applause please) so we rolled up our pants to "wade" in the water. 10 minutes later everyone had "fallen" or "got hit" by a wave so that all the kids were soaking wet... and having an absolute riot.
I gave in to the experience and we had a ball. I've got to say, swimming with your clothes on makes for a memory that you can't get with your swimming suit and picnic basket. Later, as the five of us walked back, wet and tremendously happy, I basked silently in what a blessing it is to be a dad.
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