The Joy of the Egg Sandwich

By SmileyFaceNow!

How to capture the contentment and joy I felt Mother’s Day morning?  I will paint you a picture.  My wife and the kids had discussed breakfast in bed as a way to show our appreciation for Mom.  The kids were for it and the adults were not so much.  Then my wife said what she really wanted was an egg sandwich from the breakfast place a few towns over from ours.  It is a simple fried egg with cheese and sausage, but it’s on a heavenly Asiago cheese bagel and it’s to die for!  Problem solved, I can handle this.

So on Mother’s Day morn, I got up a little early, crept downstairs, put out my present for Mom and the cards from the kids I had actually remembered to get this year.  Feeling very proud of myself, I set up the coffee machine, grabbed my 10-month old golden retriever and jumped into the truck; my family nestled in their blankets still asleep, probably dreaming of egg sandwiches.

Now the trip to the place where the special egg sandwiches live takes about 20 minutes.  It’s all on local roads through a beautiful rural, semi-suburban countryside.  The sun was up, the sky was clear and blue, it was cool but too cool, and I had my dog in the truck with me.  All was right with the world.  The tunes were playing – my tunes – nobody was fiddling with the radio or telling me my music was “so old” or complaining about being cold or hot or the dog being on someone – my time to enjoy while doing a good deed.  Face it; I was feeling pretty smug and self-important right about them.  And just as I crested a rise in the road that gives a great view of the beautiful coastal marshlands near our town, my dog decided at that moment to stick her wet, cold nose right behind my right ear!  I nearly drove off the road but had to laugh to myself – so much for mister smug guy. 

It was at this point, involuntarily but apparently very much needed, that I let go of all of the pent up frustration and worry that had been eating at me for months.  I was sour and annoyed all the time and it was getting to the point that other people were noticing.  It took a trip for egg sandwiches and a dog’s nose to snap me out of it and to put a smile back on my face.  I know it was only a day ago, but I feel like my life has changed for the better.

The rest of the trip was uneventful.  I waited in a long line (seems like everyone else had the same idea), got my magic munchable beauties and drove home with the tunes blasting.  I got back into the house just as my favorite people were stumbling down stairs with sleep in their eyes.  I hit the coffee, served the goodies and was a hero…for about thirty seconds – or as long as it takes for three motivated ladies to each wolf down an egg sandwich!