I’ve had the privilege of sleeping in a variety of places lately – different cities, countries and sleeping devices. Now that I’m home for a bit, I’ve decided to continue this practice. So, I’ve been sleeping in several different ‘regions’ of my home. This has proved to be a bit of a challenge for Dr. BJ, who wakes me each day with a pleasant ‘good morning.’ He typically starts in my bedroom and, if he gets no response or if I’m not readily visible, he moves on to the next possible location.
A few nights ago I opted to watch “Where the Red Fern Grows’ before going to bed. I had remembered the movie to be much more engaging than it was and, because it was late, I was having trouble staying awake. I eventually resigned to my body’s desire and fell asleep on the couch. I had scooted into the back of the couch, essentially spooning with the back and bottom pillows for warmth and comfort.
When Dr. BJ started looking for me in the morning, he didn’t see me at first, and then, I did my signature wake up move. This is a move in which I bend my left arm, bringing my hand near my face, then lifting my arm until my bend is above my head, at which point I release the bend, extend my entire arm into the air as if I am pushing the air out of my way, and then, with a scratchy resonance, I reply, “Good morning.” Dr. BJ’s response on this day, “There’s that arm!”
When I returned home from work on this fine day I called out, “Hello….anyone home?” Dr. BJ emerged from the dining room and then Passed The Sniff Test peeked around the door. “What a surprise,” I told them, “it is good to see both of you.” “If this surprised you then you would have been really surprised if we had done what he suggested,” Dr. BJ said while gesturing toward Passed The Sniff Test. He could tell I wanted to hear his suggestion, so he started talking, “I thought it would be funny if we took off all of our clothes and were just hanging out naked when you got home.” That definitely would have surprised me.
As the night progressed I was telling them about my movie watching the night before. “Sounds like ‘Old Yeller’,” Passed The Sniff Test commented, “Why do kids need to watch all of these movies about dogs dying?” “To teach them life lessons,” I answered. “For example, a red fern grew between Old Dan and Little Ann’s burial spots. According to Indian legend, only angels can plant a red fern and the area where it grows is sacred.” Dr. BJ exclaimed, “That explains why I’ve got a red fern growing in between my legs.” “Is that a red fern?” I replied, “I thought it was a misplaced arm.”