A while back, my mother-in-law gave Charlie a dry erase board (complete with AARP logo) -- magnetic -- so, of course, it ended up on the fridge, which is almost covered, but there are still a few inches of white space left. Very few. My favorite piece of fridge art right now is Charlie's picture of a monster Hello Kitty drawn in the style of King Kong or Godzilla, towering over skyscrapers and swatting at airplanes, using his heat ray eyes to destroy a passing helicopter. The tanks have no effect on him.

Anyway, the board was for Charlie to write any notes to himself -- reminders, important things to do. For weeks now it's had two simple tasks written on it with check boxes next to them: Play with dog; Do homework.

At a gathering, my niece's husband wistfully mused, "That's what I want my list to say." No kidding. Wouldn't most of us love to have such a short list? Yes, it's brief, but in its brevity it includes not only fun but responsibility, the yin and yang of life.

I smile when I read it and it makes me think of a simpler time when to-do lists could really consist of a couple of items. (When was that again?)

We should all do our homework, whatever that may be. And, most important, play with dog.