Post #234

Michael is named after his paternal grandfather. It was an instant, easy decision; I never considered anything else. Names like Bubba or Moose – or Daniel – never crossed my mind. Neither did Zeus or Romeo or Rambo. Achilles and Attila are good ones, come to think of it; beware of my son, he's a badass! or, uh, he WILL BE once he's potty-trained. But that's not my thing. I'm more of an Obi-Won-philosophy guy; if you strike me down, Darth, I will only be more powerful. Michael is similarly reserved, and quietly confident; Attila wouldn't fit. And if I had another son, he'd be Michael too, or more precisely, Michael II, like George Foreman's sons (all five of whom are named George). But I only have one Michael and he's the best; no need for more. Regarding names, Proverbs 22:1 comes to mind, although that's more about reputation. My son has a good name. His namesake has a good one, also; it's 'Papa Mike' these days, unless he's in a boardroom in California or London, for example, where he loses the 'Papa,' I imagine, but still brags about being a superhero grandparent. Papa Mike is a brilliant, magnetic, imagineble-not-to-like guy who my son keenly admires. This is both awesome and terrifying. (See Post #233 about F-words.) It's mostly great, of course, but some interesting emulation is underway and rising. Papa Mike has more shoes than Imelda Marcos and Michael is similarly motivated and striving. Papa loves to shop. Papa also loves, despite his thinness, eating luxuriously – a practice he has wholeheartedly earned over decades of hard work and success – and Michael is following suit. "The Surf 'n' Turf sounds great," Michael will say to our bow-tied server, "but what's this about market price, and can I get an extra lobster tail?" When Papa's at the table, we work it out. If not, this causes tension between Michael and his father's wallet, and therefore his father altogether. I'm kidding mostly; Michael has an appropriate conscientiousness about the price of things. He wants a 'big house' someday, but understands it has to be earned; his grandfather has shown him both sides of this equation. I'm happy Papa also loves sports, movies, traveling, hunting, and fishing, as these are affinities shared by all three of us. Papa Mike drinks fully from the cup of life; his energies and obsessive powers are considerable. This will cause a few headaches if his grandson assaults life with a commensurate gusto. And Michael is showing signs. If the dust ever settles enough to assess it, I will be both tear-jerkingly proud and teeth-grittingly worried, if the prophecy plays out, like-grandfather-like-grandson.