We’re driving home from the gym. It’s approaching bed time. In our home, bed time is sanctioned by the United Nations. You don’t mess with it. I tried once and I nearly got my son black listed the first week of kindergarten. Both our children need their sleep. William especially. General grumpiness is the gold standard. Occasional water works aren’t uncommon. Tonight, we escalate into physical manifestations of fatigue as we try to leave the gym.
“My legs hurt. I can’t walk to the car.”
“Sure you can.”
“No I can’t.”
“Buddy, let’s go.”
Meredith flanks him with an alternative tact.
“Maybe you just need a banana? They’re good for tired bones.”
This is the first I’ve heard of the banana miracle cure for achy bones. It distracts him though and we’re able to make it to the car. His plea for bone relief possesses stamina and persists pretty much the entire ride home. Upon arrival he fumbles out of the car and slowly ascends the 3 steps into the house. There, a mere 4 feet in front of him beckons an entire bunch of bone relief. Meredith snaps one off and administers the prescription to her patient. While he takes his medicine we arrive on a suitable diagnosis for his ailment. The little guy clearly has an acute case of Banana Bone. Thankfully we keep the fast-acting banana variety in stock. He houses the entire dose and musters the courage to walk up stairs.
We explain he’s probably just over-tired. He had a long day and played hard in the Adventure Room at the gym. It could also be growing pains we say and regale him with tails of similar discomforts when we were little. His attitude is chippering as we tuck him and his sister in. Hugs and kisses are given as a booster. All is calm. Crisis remediated.
Banana Bone sounds like something I’ve had before. The aching hasn’t been in my bones so much as my head and my heart. That it’s a condition related to stress, lack of rest and stretching of one’s capacities makes sense to me. Perhaps you’ve experienced it too? Long days leaning into challenges you’re not sure will subside. Pressures to achieve and outdo yourself that spring from within as much as external forces. Pressing against the edges of your own ability without feeling the slightest budge. What you do feel is a dull ache that wants to decorate the guest room.
That’s when you realize Banana Bone doesn’t have to be a physical ailment. It can be mental. It can drive emotion. Which means you can choose it or you can choose against it. It’s not real. It’s your response to what’s real. I know, it’s still not easy. But it’s part of “growing up.”
My advice to you?
Eat a banana and go to bed.
You’ll feel a lot better in the morning.
