one small corner of the universe

I have four–FOUR!–drafts saved in WordPress right now. I could be working on any of them.

I have eaten half a bowl of cereal and my coffee is tepid. I could be finishing my breakfast.

Mia is binge-eating Cheerios in the high chair. I could be cleaning up the morning meal disaster area, wiping down the tray, and combing the banana out of my kid’s hair.

Instead I am recovering from a Really Big Cry that, while most likely tied to my Very Frustrating Evening yesterday (one of the drafts in progress), was actually incited by the internet.

I was reading the morning’s headlines and saw the story about the 911 operator who hung up on a 5-year old boy. Have you seen it? The kid had called to get help for his mom, who was unconscious on the floor, and the operator didn’t believe him, so she disconnected. He eventually called back, but the second operator also thought he was kidding and sent police instead of EMS. His mom died. While he was sitting there next to her.

We are listening to Robbie Schaeffer on XMKids online via AOL while I am reading this story, and in my already saddened state I listen as Robbie takes a call from a kid in Kentucky. He always asks his miniature callers what they are doing, and this kid says, “We’re going to pick up my dad.” Robbie jokingly says, “Why? Did he fall down?” and the little girl says, “He’s coming home from Iraq.” I think I could actually hear Robbie Schaeffer’s intake of breath, or maybe that was me, but as I listened to the rest of the conversation I came completely unglued. I don’t know if you’ve ever heard Robbie Schaeffer’s voice–whether speaking or singing, his voice is filled with a mellow, gentle kindness. The combination of his kindness and the inherent sadness of this child seeing her dad for the first time in a year and the 911 story was just too much for me. And then the little girl requested, and Robbie Schaeffer played, this:

Can you see me? I am wiping my eyes with a dish towel.