I feel like this today. I’m hoping it’s just the Sunday after a holiday and I’m resting up for the new year? If not, I’m just lazy.

I have things to do, I’m just not in the mood and it’s cold out and there’s nothing really fun to eat in my house. I started a great book The Nine, by Jeffrey Toobin and I can’t even get up the gumption to sit around and read. It would be great if I could put some work into writing my own book today, but it too will have to wait.

When Cotter was little, he used to go around to everyone – family, strangers, you name it – and ask them, “What’s your favorite animal?” Most people would humor him and just pick any animal and he would then ask the dreaded, “Why?” He would get a reasonable explanation and then say, “Huh…good choice. Mine’s an elephant.” Even if they didn’t ask, he’d offer his favorite animal.

Occasionally there was the person that would look into his cute little six year old face and say they didn’t know their favorite animal or they didn’t have one. Cotter never missed a beat and he’d say things like, “I can wait if you need to think.” or “Of course you do, everyone has a favorite animal.”

When I say strangers, I’m talking about people in check-out lines, flight attendants, burly guys in Home Depot and one time a guy in a drive through. He did this all the time with no regard for personality or circumstance. These are people with things to do, places to go. They do not have time to stop and tell a little guy about their favorite animal. And yet, Cotter has a way, he always has. Eventually he’d get a smile, and they’d stop for a moment and think about their favorite animal.

Cotter no longer inquires about people’s favorite animal. He’ll be sixteen in a few months, but he still stops me and the rest of our family at the most inopportune times, he can be ruthless when he wants a hug, when he wants to show you something on his computer or talk to you incessantly about a movie scene.

He takes me out of what I’m doing, most of the time reluctantly, and makes me laugh or think about the most ridiculous things. He’s like a little dose of “shut down” every day.

I’m hibernating today, so that would make my favorite animal a bear and I like bears because they know when to take a break.

My thoughts from the laundry room. Snoozy bear.

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