February 15, 2014: Mulberry Street

My house at 6 a.m. on a Thursday (note the extra child who is not mine)

And to think that I saw it on Mulberry Street. Dr. Suess was a smart man. Entertaining, yes. But smart? Absolutely. He understood life. And not just with the ten-and-under crowd. We adults reading these fanciful literary creations relate as well.

I am often reminded of Mulberry Street during my daily adventures. The theme began on our runs many years ago.

Awaking to run at 5:30 a.m. would elicit visions to an outsider of lonely roads and peaceful surroundings. On most days this is true. On other occasions, this is not the case.

Running our route through the neighborhood of Harvey Oaks has brought on many Mulberry Street stories. On one particular run, we met a man kicking a soccer ball down the street at this peculiar hour. Minutes later, a mad man flew by us on a lighted bike. Although traveling on pavement at record speed, it was as though he hoped to launch into the darkened skies.

We completed our strange run, commenting that many wouldn't believe the validity of our encounters that morning. It could only happen on Mulberry Street, we deadpanned. The phrase stuck for years to come during our many morning runs with interesting events along the way.

My daily life many times mirrors Dr. Suess' character's recant on his Mulberry Street journey. Although the world told him to look to the ground and stop telling tales, young Marco saw life differently. "Keep your eyelids up and see what you can see" was the advice given on his daily walk to school.

Our daily walks in life are often summarized with blanket answers like "yes, the kids are doing great" and "just another busy day". Lifting ones eyelids offers antidotes outside the daily norm. Some are real and some are what we make of them.

A real Mulberry Street occurrence happened this last Thursday. Garrett and I went to the gym for our morning workout at 5:20 a.m. Upon arriving home at 6:10, two of my boys and a friend were feasting on a pancake breakfast from McDonald's while watching US play Slovakia in hockey. Surprised by this site, I had to remind myself that it really wasn't a Thursday night. Confusion. A sight outside the daily norm. And then a smile and a laugh. My kids never cease to amuse me with their outside-the-norm antics.

My new work life is many times a Mulberry Street adventure as well. I left a comfortable 22-year career to start something new. My typical days filled with taxes and pull horses have been replaced with foreign zebras and fleet of elephants. The Irish brogue is real. The zebras, not so much.

I continue to meet interesting people with every day bringing a new adventure. Daily occurrences seem to mirror the parade and chariot-like sightings on Mulberry Street. At least from my eyes.

I will continue to keep my eyelids up and see what I can see. From my vantage point, this daily walk through life is nothing short of fascinating.