In the grocery store last week: a mother and her young son walk toward me smiling.
Boy: Do you have a pig?
Me: I have a dog.
Boy: Does the dog eat toast?
Me: She eats everything.
Mother: Tell her who you dressed up as last Halloween.
Boy: Leroy Ninker! (and then, very quietly, under his breath): Yippie-i-oh.
Mother: We love Leroy Ninker.
Boy: Do you have a horse like Leroy Ninker has a horse?
Me: No, I just have the dog.
Mother: We read together every night.
Me: Thank you. Thank you for doing that.
Boy: I can’t believe you don’t have a pig or a horse.
Me: I know. It’s kind of hard to believe. But I get to write about pigs and horses and that’s just as good.
Mother: Thank you.
Me: Thank you.
Boy: You should maybe get a gerbil.
And what I’m thinking as I walk away is: I love this job. I love this job so much.

Reactions: 5.3K
Comments: 106

Original Post