It’s an overcast morning with a temperature of 45 degrees which will climb two more degrees by 2 PM before dropping to 42 degrees later in the evening. We have high percentages of consistent rain promised through Friday. This is playing an aggravating game with my MS; my legs and feet, always feeling as though they are asleep, now feel as though they are in metal boots that are being tightened as the day progresses.

Sunday afternoon and evening yielded a wealth of hard work from students! It was refreshing to see the growth of the sixteen piled into Sunday. Tuesday will be eighteen students and they are also another group of hard workers.

A FUN DREAM…

I have slept wonderfully the past several nights and each night’s sleep seems to bring with it several vivid dreams. This night was especially fun.

Mother and I entered the gates of Kings Island. Mother was never a rollercoaster fan and this did seem peculiar that she would be with me; however, we entered with much eagerness to a theme park that was not recognizable as King’s Island, but we were happy to be there, nonetheless.

We walked past this outdoor cantina and spied Mother’s first cousin, Judy Smith Hallett, and her husband Jerry, seated in a booth. Jerry shared that their daughter, Kari Hallett Miller, my second cousin, was seated in another part of the cantina working on a project. Mother scooted into the booth beside Judy and I ventured in to see Kari. We chatted for a moment and she noted that her son, Jon, a student at Maine’s Bowdoin College was in the grocery store – something new to my dream’s version of King’s Island.

I went in search of the very tall Jon and found him in an aisle assisting a lady who was not tall enough to reach something from a higher shelf. As we stood chatting about his adventures in Maine, someone else required his assistance in reaching an item on a higher shelf.

I came up with a plan! I put a sign on Jon’s chest and back that read, “Let me up you with the top shelf.” We explained to customers that it was a $25 dollar fee as Jon often required a tank of oxygen due to his height. Within a very fast-forward version of my dream, we had amassed $875 within a few minutes. I nicknamed Jon, “Top Shelf.”

We went out to the cantina to share our successful entrepreneurship adventures to find Mother, Judy, Jerry, and Kari riding some wild rollercoaster. As their line of cars slowed down to enter the exit area, Jerry called out, “You boys need to try this! It is great!”

Jon (“Top Shelf”) and I entered the line for the ride. As we got ready to join the area to load into the cars, there was a familiar “You must be this tall to ride” sign but this one read, “You cannot ride this ride if you can reach higher shelves in a grocery store.” A dejected Jon and I crossed to the other side of the loading area to exit the ride.

And with that, the dream ended.

On with Monday…

I will leave for The Park at 2:56 PM on No. 17 for my 4 PM – 10 PM shift in The Roundhouse Cafe.

Make it a great day!

PHOTOS: my cousin, Jon “Top Shelf” Miller; Jon’s grandparents, Jerry and Judy Hallett (Judy and my mother are first cousins); Jerry and Judy’s daughter (and Jon’s mom), Kari Hallett Miller.