For months, it seemed like the day would never come. He had planned, plotted, thought through various scenarios, even considered practicing. The thought of this day's events had taken over his life.

He had to admit that he was a little fixated on the topic. But, when he first heard of it, the thought would not leave his mind. In fact, the thought did nothing but grow. He admitted that as the big day approached, it had an impact on the rest of his life.

His wife left him, his eldest daughter refused to talk to him, he even lost his job. And through it all, he continued to plan for the big day.

He carefully checked out all of his equipment. He had used a solar calendar app to determine just where the sun would be at exactly the right time. Even the weather gods were smiling. A perfect sunny day, around 79, a slight breeze and almost totally cloud free. "Perfect" didn't come close to describing it.

Slowly, but carefully, he began taking his gear outside. As his pile grew, he could barely contain his excitement.

First the lawn chair. Just. . . . . There. It sat in the middle of his lawn, just as he had planned, with a perfect view of the wall.

Next, he put up the outdoor umbrella. Staking it into the ground, and turning it just so, it would allow him to sit in comfort, while he improved his ability to see. His glare free sunglasses? Check. His linen shirt, with extra large front pockets? Check. Can opener? Check. Bottle opener? Check. Napkins? Check. Pretzels and potato chips?

Damn, he almost forgot. He went back inside and pulled out the small lawn table to hold his snacks and beverages.

Cooler? Check. Ice? Check. Beer? 3 six packs, already pre-cooled? Check.

He stepped back from command central and again reviewed his plan. Yes, this was just perfect. No better way to celebrate this big day.

He felt his heart pounding as he placed the drop cloth near the wall. He did not want to leave any stains. He took out the can opener, stirred the can of latex, and began brushing on the paint on the garage wall. Smooth, slow, even layers, no drips, not fuss, no dabs, no spills. Finally the wall was completely covered. He carefully rolled up the drop cloth, and made his final review of his checklist. Yup, he was all set.

So, he reached inside his ice cooler, pulled out a frosty beer, took off the top, and opened the bag of pretzels.

And then he began to watch the paint dry. At long last.