A story about kickball

I am a renter. Not because I enjoy setting fire to my money but because I had an irresponsible youth and am now reaping the rewards of said youth.

So, Michael and I are in the process of trying to locate a house to rent so our son can have a room and our dogs can have a yard (and stop chasing other dogs and small children until they have officially made it impossible for me to make it to work on time).

The "process" is basically like putting in your bid to be picked first for kickball on the playground at recess. You're asking the team captain to review all your past kickball games and overlook the time you went to kick the ball and instead landed on your ass. "I picked myself up and dusted myself off, and I tried again! I made it all the way to first base the next time!" Eventually, you will find a team captain who will tell you that you are in the running, but you must first jump through these 5 hoops.

The agonizing part is the waiting. You put in your application (complete with all the information these strangers need to review everything you've ever done.......including fail) and then you wait endlessly TO BE JUDGED.

Unlike going through a similar process to purchase a home, your reward for all this hoop jumping and being judged is: being granted the keys to the front door that someone else owns so that you may mail them a check every month....until you grow weary of some facet of that person's property and start the process all over again.

So, here's to being picked first for the kickball team the Fox family really wants to play on this year!