bhern
06-25-2018, 05:48 PM
Yesterday was a good day.
It's been a busy time with some challenges at work and at home; parents who need some extra attention, and grown children who... still need some extra attention. A former boss remarked on the latter phenomenon, saying, "The problems don't go away. They just get harder and more life-altering."
So when my son invited me to go to Enchanted Rock* with him yesterday, my wife, wiser than I will ever be, gave me permission to abandon our houseguests a couple hours early and I asked my son if he'd like to ride on the back of my Spyder. That sealed the deal. It's been probably about 20 years since I was even kind of cool in our kids' eyes, but the Spyder has rehabilitated my reputation a bit.
Objectively, it was a brutal day for a ride -- 100 degrees as we hit the road, a bit blustery -- which only meant we were in a convection oven instead of a conventional broiler -- and my son was carrying a backpack that was about 4 inches too tall for the frunk. (He wore it empty both ways.)
Fortunately, there's nothing objective about fathers and sons. E-Rock is a special place for us both, having spent many days there together in temperatures ranging from 15 degrees to 105. The intercom helmets (another cool Dad factor) allowed us to chat about topics ranging from the pantheon of Star Wars movies (I loved The Last Jedi, he was appalled) to the worst smelling roadkill en route (we both agreed it was on SH 16 about 10 miles south of Llano). Between those important topics, I talked about aging parents/grandparents, and he talked about dreams and agreed he was a bit adrift. We drank a lot of water, and ate a couple of massive burgers as the sun was going down.
Father's Day was a week earlier, but yesterday was one h*ll of a present. I am blessed to have two children who still share their hearts with me when the time is right, and a mother and father who are still around to mystify me when I think they've finally understood the internet. For all the frailties and failures of those relationships, they are still deep and real. To all the fathers and sons out there, whether they're present in the here and now or are held close in your heart, I wish you the comfort of memories made of days like this.
* Enchanted Rock (https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/enchanted-rock) -- If you're ever in central Texas, do yourself a favor and check it out. A truly unique place.
It's been a busy time with some challenges at work and at home; parents who need some extra attention, and grown children who... still need some extra attention. A former boss remarked on the latter phenomenon, saying, "The problems don't go away. They just get harder and more life-altering."
So when my son invited me to go to Enchanted Rock* with him yesterday, my wife, wiser than I will ever be, gave me permission to abandon our houseguests a couple hours early and I asked my son if he'd like to ride on the back of my Spyder. That sealed the deal. It's been probably about 20 years since I was even kind of cool in our kids' eyes, but the Spyder has rehabilitated my reputation a bit.
Objectively, it was a brutal day for a ride -- 100 degrees as we hit the road, a bit blustery -- which only meant we were in a convection oven instead of a conventional broiler -- and my son was carrying a backpack that was about 4 inches too tall for the frunk. (He wore it empty both ways.)
Fortunately, there's nothing objective about fathers and sons. E-Rock is a special place for us both, having spent many days there together in temperatures ranging from 15 degrees to 105. The intercom helmets (another cool Dad factor) allowed us to chat about topics ranging from the pantheon of Star Wars movies (I loved The Last Jedi, he was appalled) to the worst smelling roadkill en route (we both agreed it was on SH 16 about 10 miles south of Llano). Between those important topics, I talked about aging parents/grandparents, and he talked about dreams and agreed he was a bit adrift. We drank a lot of water, and ate a couple of massive burgers as the sun was going down.
Father's Day was a week earlier, but yesterday was one h*ll of a present. I am blessed to have two children who still share their hearts with me when the time is right, and a mother and father who are still around to mystify me when I think they've finally understood the internet. For all the frailties and failures of those relationships, they are still deep and real. To all the fathers and sons out there, whether they're present in the here and now or are held close in your heart, I wish you the comfort of memories made of days like this.
* Enchanted Rock (https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/enchanted-rock) -- If you're ever in central Texas, do yourself a favor and check it out. A truly unique place.