Yesterday was the fifth anniversary of the IPod. Millions have been sold and have made white the new black. Not just for portable music, doctors are using it to study images and baseball players are watching the competition's every move. Podcasts now feature every subject imaginable. Over 75 % of those who download music, have one. Which brings us to Elvis...
I picked up Gage at preschool yesterday and my ITunes review CD came on as we drove away. Keaton has been into Elvis for a long time and now Gage is coming into his own. After the school carnival last Friday night, he has aded YMCA to his internal playlist but yesterday on the way home, he needed Elvis. Marie's The Name was the tune of choice and we had to hit the back button a couple of times.
"Where's Elvis?", he asked.
"Where's Elvis?", I asked, hoping he would give up.
"Yes, where is he?", he asked with a little more urgency.
"Well, he's in heaven", is what marched out of my mouth.
"Why?", he asked.
"Why?", I echoed.
"Why?", he asked again.
"Because he died", I finally answered.
The whys kept on for a few more questions but then he was satisfied. He had this conversation with Aunt BeBe a few weeks ago about her mother. After a relentless round of questioning and Aunt BeBe wanting to be politically correct, Keaton, who had been listening to all this, reaches over around Aunt BeBe and tells Gage, She's Dead. Gage had no more questions.
While Gage and I were listening to Elvis, his mommy had a emergency trip to the dentist to fix a tooth. A bite of an oatmeal cookie had started the trouble and the tooth that had previously had a root canal, needed some big time help. Apparently the dentist looked like he had just come from middle school and as he examined the tooth, seemed to be have about as much confidence. The tooth was infected and did need a new root canal but he was not sure he would not get in the middle of the procedure, be in over his head and have to send her to someone else with that someone else being a classmate of his. Wisely, Brandi decided to get a second opinion today.
There are many things that scare me these days - indecisive dentists are at the top of the list but when I think about a four year old trying to understand death, I am strangley comforted. Gage has been interested in death and Jesus since he left the nursery last spring and has joined Keaton in Children's Church. He has talked more about Jesus being the boss and now he is trying to understand about death and people going to be with Jesus. And of course, Elvis. Elvis would have gotten the IPod deal - He would have carried one in his rhinestone jumpsuit. He would have had the oldies and I imagine a playlist that would include Bono, Emimen and Jonny Lang. I have no such hopes for the dentist. He better make sure he gets back to school before recess is over...
