Last week Gage went to his first Blue and Gold Banquet for the Cub Scouts and he got a blue helium balloon at the banquet. I really get annoyed with balloons floating around the house and here I had three floating around since Claire and Luke got one too. Call me OCD but I can only tolerate them for a few days and then I want to get rid of them. The kids love them of course and would rather keep them until they are a former shell of themselves and sadly floating only inches above the ground. I was annoyed sooner than normal with these particular ballons and when Gage didn't take his to his room, the third time I had asked, I cut holes in them.
The cry of saddness and pain that came out of Gage brought me up short. I mean I really felt bad! After he stopped crying I asked him why he was so upset about a popped balloon and he said, "I don't know why, but when you pop my balloons I feel like you are murdering it." I laughed, strictly inside, and told Gage how sorry I was but that balloons aren't alive. He asked if he could have the balloon's remains and I obliged him. He sniffled and held it so tenderly as he walked downstairs. As he was walking down the stairs he said, "I guess this needs to go to the graveyard of broken things." I was intrigued so I followed him. "The graveyard" is a shelf in the back of my sewing table that Gage informed me he puts all the things that are broken and he doesn't want me throw away. I really felt like a monster. Then he showed me the inhabitants of the graveyard and it consisted of a red balloon (I'm sure I popped that one too!) and a broken walking teeth thing. It made me feel like I'm creating issues that will need to be worked out with a professional later. But if I kept all the things that Gage thinks are special our house would be feartured on the show: Hoarding: Buried Alive. I guess it's better to have a graveyard in a sewing table. There are no reality shows about that.
Confession: I found random stuff in that shelf about 6 months ago and I threw it all away. I'm so sorry. I never would have defiled the broken thing's resting place if I would have know! I love you buddy!
