The Penultimate Charge

I have been working March Madness in New York the past few days. The City is a beautiful place this time of year. My hotel view looks out over the Hudson River and to say it is spectacular does not do it justice. I take a walk most mornings on the outskirts of Greenwich Village. It is funy how we appreciate the color and pageantry of a place a lot more as we get older. My daily trek leads past a typical New York  City playground. I am amused at the stylish way the toddlers are dressed. They could be lifted out of whatever the chic children's fashion magazine is at this time. Scarves neatly adorning their necks, P coats, Ugg boots, tweed jackets, it is an all encompassing assemblage of elegant couture, for the mini-me set. I am reminded of Shiloh, and her early signs of fashion awareness. At 9 months she was already adept at wrapping a fake fur boa around her neck and sporting whatever trendy sunglasses her mom left laying around. Being the wardrobe consultant she is, you can well imagine the pleasure mommie gets from having her little girl representing the epitome of avant garde apparel. Then she smiles, and the reality of the challenges of parenting assume the front and center position. Shiloh has cavities that need to be addressed with the assistance of an Anesthesiolgist. I don't want to get into the fear and apprehension that come with having to subject one so young to such drastic measures. She has been allowed to sleep with a bottle of milk to drink. That is our fault as parents, and now Shiloh suffers the consequences. And we suffer also. So I flew back home to be present at the upcoming proceedure. I want to be there when she falls asleep and there when she wakes. Then it is back to New York for more March Madness, and more playgrounds with the finely dressed children. I will experience a wave of gratitude at the realization that I have been afforded this penultimate charge, and to handle it accordingly.