Zack and the Lion Head

It was about seven in the morning on a dreary Saturday.  Everything was drenched from the night's rain storm and the fog was thick.  It laid extremely close to the ground.  I held a warm cup of coffee in my hands and as I looked out at the thick fog I couldn't help but hunger for oatmeal. As I started the water I thought of all the tasks, chores, and promises I needed to accomplish in that one day. I only had one sip of coffee and I was already becoming overwhelmed.

I heard a familiar sound softly rolling down the stairs. The cooing and squealing of my four month old son reached my ears like the chirping of birds returning in the spring and the dreariness and burdens of the day lifted slightly.  I set up the stairs and paused at the top, listened for the soft whispers of my wife's sleep, and made my way to Zack's room. There he was, in his crib, ready for the day.

We did Zack's usual routine with a feeding, changing of the diaper, and new clothes for the day. I brought him downstairs and set him in his soft cozy rocker. We talked for a while and he became engrossed with the mobile hanging above him, talking and laughing at all the funny plastic animal faces that hung above his head like proud trophies.

I seized this opportunity to get my oatmeal and start my day. As I mixed all the ingredients...well, two ingredients, water and a packet of oatmeal...I realized that Zack had become very quiet. I turned and noticed that he was staring intently at one of his trophy animal heads.

I made my way to the table he was on and sat down in a chair beside him. I looked at all the faces and noticed he was staring at the face of the lion. I had to test my theory so I reached up and moved the lion to the left. I saw his little head turn slightly to the left, wobble a little, then he found his target once again. I thought that it might had been a coincidence so I moved the lion to the right. I got the same result. Ah, proof that my son was looking at the lion. Now the question was why?

I sat next to my son and tried to figure out what the fascination was with the lion. I too stared at the comical face. Nothing special really. In fact it didn't even resemble a lion very well. The lions head was in the shape of a perfect circle. It had two black dots for eyes, and its mane was bright orange. The mouth and nose were nothing more than another black dot with an upside down t for a mouth. I thought how great it would be to be entertained by something so simple, and again pondered how he could spend so much time just staring.

I laughed at myself and began my morning. I decided to tackle the chores first starting with the dishes. I scrubbed the previous nights dinner off the plates, rinsed out the glasses, and put the utensils in the dishwasher. As I was rinsing out the sink I happened to notice that the fog had lifted and the sunshine was freely flowing over the back yard. "When did that happen?" I thought to myself. I turned and looked at Zack. He was still staring at the lion face.

My thoughts were distracted by the patter of tiny paws on the steps. I looked around the island just in time to see our Maltese, Leo, trot towards the back door. Seemed like everyone was sleeping in today except Zack and I. I dried my hands on the red dish towel I had hanging on my shoulder and headed over to the back door to let Leo out.

I wrapped my hand around the handle of the glass sliding door when I looked down at the crazy white dog sitting at my feet. What the hell is that? Is that a stick in his fur? I reached down and plucked the twig from his thick coat. I was about to stand back up when another object caught my eye. A second stick, and a leaf, a gum ball spur, grass, a piece of clover, and was that a chipmunk?

I pulled half the yard from his fur and kicked him outside. "When did that happen?" I asked myself. How did I not see that last night? I thought I looked as he ran past me for bed, but there was so much to do I must have missed it. I took my coffee mug off the counter and finally took my second sip. I looked over at Zack. He was still staring at the lion face.

I stared out the back door and watched Leo frolic through the clover and the one or two pieces of grass that I still have in the back yard. I noticed the Plum Magnolia tree had bloomed. It was covered with purple and white flowers. "Wow, when did that happen?" This question was being asked a lot this morning.

I grabbed my fleece jacket and stepped out on the deck to join Leo. The day was warmer then I thought it would be. I looked over at my neighbors yard and noticed he had gotten a new dog. I turned to my other neighbor and saw a bright red 2011 F150 sitting in his driveway. I didn't ask myself the question. I turned around and walked back inside.

I stared at the kitchen. I noticed the paint was dull, there was a cobweb in one of the corners, and on the floor were a few dead leaves that had fallen off Leo at some point. I looked at Zack. He was staring at the lion face. I noticed how big he had gotten. In just four months he didn't look like the same little person my wife and I had brought home. He was longer and his face had filled out. He had more hair on his little head, and his eyes were more focused. This time I asked the question, "When did that happen?"

I realized that Zack wasn't just staring at the lion but he was observing that face. He was seeing all that there was, all that it consisted of. He didn't want to miss seeing anything. Everyone has one moment in their life when the passage of time hits them and they realize how much they may have missed. I cleared the rest of my day, pulled a chair up next to Zack, and sat next to him. We both stared at the lion face, neither of us wanted to miss a thing.