Dad Post #213

My last post was #212 and it made me think, which is scary but I do it anyway. I was thinking and remembering that water boils at 212 degrees Fahrenheit. Around Michael's age, I heard a super-inspiring talk from a guy who made one simple point: At 211 degrees you have hot water, that's all, only hot water, but at 212 degrees it starts to boil! Bam! You get bubbles, steam, waves, a chemical reaction. You get action, motion, change. So... sometimes you're very close, if you press on, push a little further, things start to happen! It was an awesome lesson. Your passion, your effort, your energy, your focus, your faith, your generosity... don't stop at 211. Don't be 211. Boil. It can be difficult to tell if you're only one degree away, but keep at it, keep on, keep moving. Of course, one should be aware that water boils at a lower temp at altitude, and a higher temperature if impurities are present.... Wow, I went nerdy there for comedic effect – yes, I know, fail – but give me credit for the metaphorical richness! Climb, soar, and keep impurities at bay. Bam!

Speaking of lessons.... Kids are awesome. They are exultant over things like Halloween and swimming pools. They love presents; they love getting gifts, sure, but also giving them. They draw. They play. They are bouncy and excitable and sometimes run from only one side of a room to the other. I always notice when Megan does this; I know she's inspired and happy. She skips and hops and still flaps her arms like a bird in moments of pure excitement. Fly Megan, fly! I love it when she's happy. It's so much better than pouty and crabby. Which is neither frequent nor rare, but always annoying. Sadly, Michael is showing signs of growing up, and leaving the impulses of childlike joy and creativity behind. This, of course, is bullshit and I intend to subvert, deter, and obstruct this kind of over-followed attitudinal maturation in my son. It simply won't do. Even Jesus said so, a radical teaching in his day, but just as difficult in ours: If you want to know heaven, remember the ways of children. Amen.