Did You Say Something Dad?
The other day I was trying to impart some wisdom on my 14 year old son, and of course being 14 he already knows everything he needs to know, so old dad was pretty much talking to the dishwasher for the most part. The trouble is, when I was that age I was the same way and my dad probably gave me great advice that I should have followed, but it went straight into my head which was already filled with all the knowledge that I'd ever need, or so I thought at 14. What I was trying to get through to my son, after constant attempts to get out of his chores - which took four times the amount of time and energy that it took to actually do the chores, was that he should develop a more positive outlook on life, including chores, because life is so short and the time that you are young is even shorter. That's not an idea a kid that age has room to store and think over in a brain that's fully occupied with Guitar Hero, Dog Wars and Halo, not to mention those pretty little things that play havoc with a teenage boy's thoughts.
So I was listening to myself as I was "lecturing" (which is what dads really do instead of saying anything you want to hear) and I thought I should probably take my own advice and try to structure my life around the joy that should be part of being alive. Sure, there are so many things I never got to do and it's too late to do them now, but there is still so much to take in from this short existence that is life, and to dwell on and worry about material things like a bad job, insurmountable debt, or tomorrow's weather is a pointless endeavor. Of course it's easier said than done, and at my age hard to change, but if I can take just a few minutes each day and realize that billions, maybe trillions, of people have lived and died and now it's my turn to make the most of my short stint on this plane of existence, then maybe I'll have a brighter outlook for the rest of that day and realize that all the petty things that bother me are meaningless when I see things from more of a cosmic viewpoint.
So I was listening to myself as I was "lecturing" (which is what dads really do instead of saying anything you want to hear) and I thought I should probably take my own advice and try to structure my life around the joy that should be part of being alive. Sure, there are so many things I never got to do and it's too late to do them now, but there is still so much to take in from this short existence that is life, and to dwell on and worry about material things like a bad job, insurmountable debt, or tomorrow's weather is a pointless endeavor. Of course it's easier said than done, and at my age hard to change, but if I can take just a few minutes each day and realize that billions, maybe trillions, of people have lived and died and now it's my turn to make the most of my short stint on this plane of existence, then maybe I'll have a brighter outlook for the rest of that day and realize that all the petty things that bother me are meaningless when I see things from more of a cosmic viewpoint.
posted by Tim at Friday, March 26, 2010
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