What Would Scooby Do?

Like most things with Ethan, it’s become routine at this point.  He greets me each morning, still sleepy, and whispers, “Daddy, is it o.k. if I watch TV?”  “Sure, buddy,” I reply, after which he curls up in a blanket on our bed and turns on the set.

For the most part, I will leave Ethan alone, emptying the dishwasher and packing lunches while the white noise of Jessie, iCarly or Sam & Cat droned on in the other room.  But lately an immediately recognizable theme song has been drawing me to the set.  Ethan has discovered the original late 1960s-era Scooby-Doo, Where Are You!

Not surprisingly, the show is exactly how I remember it – concurrently dated and relevant.  Ethan sits, engrossed, as the gang merrily plugs along on one of their sort-of-dark-but-not-too-scary adventures.  I usually stand in mid-stride and watch with Ethan, holding a half-assembled lunch in my hand.  Ethan will turn his head and smile to acknowledge by presence, then goes right back to watching.

I eventually return to my duties and get on with the morning.  Some people do yoga or go outside to get centered before heading off to work.  I ironically find the chaos of our household comforting.  It’s for Wendy and the kids that I am, to think of it in Zen terms. Everything else is gravy.

Despite enjoying the chaos, I am not exactly displeased to have 20-30 minutes to myself as I drive to work.  I might listen to music, but it becomes nothing more than a background hum.  Maybe I’m thinking about something; maybe not.  It depends on the day.

I park my car in the same spot each morning and it wasn’t until recently that I noted the bumper sticker on the car next to mine.  It asked, rhetorically, “What would Scooby Do?” I would imagine he would put others before himself.  He would be grateful for life’s simpler pleasures.  And he would be cheerily tenacious when pursuing most objectives.

Another reminder of why Scooby-Doo is still relevant, regardless of our age.  And why he ultimately will  outlive us all.