My son-in-law and I get along very well and have for over twenty years. One of the many reasons is that we share the same sense of humor. A case in point: We were having a family take-out dinner at my house. He volunteered to pick up the food and paid for it. I had made it clear that this dinner was to be my treat. We were all in the kitchen and he was at the counter with his back to me dishing up the teriyaki. I was peppering him with questions about the cost and my remittance. He turned around with a brilliant smile on his face and said, “Mind your own beeswax.” The room erupted in laughter. How many guys can get away with saying that to a mother-in-law?

He tells me about his misadventures because he knows I’ll laugh and, as often as not, a little poem is sparked. He has never shied away from exuberant sports. This happened before he bridled his daring because of the responsibilities of fatherhood. He lived on the top of a hill which provided a long downhill run (about a mile) to the bottom where a friendly neighborhood tavern was located. He and a friend would sometimes skateboard down together, have a beer and take the bus back up to where they started. Other times, he’d make the run by himself just for the fun of it and skip the beer. So, this is how it all went down on one particular day:

GLITCH IN THE DITCH

I’m making this call from my cellphone:

Help, there’s a man in the ditch!

He was gleefully sailing westward

When his skateboard encountered a glitch.

Oh wait, I can see that he’s upright.

He’s a little bit bloody and bruised.

He seems to be listing to starboard

But a tilt can, of course, be excused.

He’s pulling his board from the bushes.

He’s muttering but he’s quite calm.

Now, he’s standing around on the sidewalk—

He just boarded a bus with aplomb.

I’m blessed to have him in my life.