Bye! Love you! Have a good day!
When the Boy started school, I’d say the same thing to him. Sometimes I'd say it twice, once to Claire-Adele and then two seconds later to the Boy in the same chirpy voice.
"Bye! Love you! Have a good day!" Then so they would each feel special and not left out, I'd say the exact same words again: "Bye! Love you! Have a good day!"
How many times have I said this to my kids over the years? Let's do the math:
180 days in a school year plus 30 days of summer camp = 210 days a year
Claire-Adele -- 14.5 years (starting with preschool)
The Boy -- 11.5 years
26 years x 210 days = 5,460
I've uttered that phrase a lot. It has become rote, a habit, a mantra.
After I walked Fox the other morning, I stopped at the coffee shop around the corner and got something for the kids to eat for breakfast. At 7:03 a.m., there was a line and I started talking to Julianna, the barista who has been there for a few years. She knows everyone in my family, including Fox.
After I paid for my coffee and food, I left the shop. As I was walking out the door, I said
"Bye Julianna! Love ya! Have a good day!"
Yeah. I was tired, but not so tired that I didn't think it was funny. I caught myself and apologized to Julianna. I wondered how many times I have said that to my neighbors, friends, random people but never noticed.
"Don't worry," said Julianna, "I catch myself saying the same thing all of the time to my customers."
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