Joyeux Anniversaire . . . Enlightenment 37 Years in the Making
As I take my first steps into the 38th year of this
adventure that I call “my life”, I realize that I have only come up with three
certainties to hang my proverbial hat on.
First . . . don’t sweat the details . . . and it is ALL details. Second, we are all going to die
eventually. And third, and perhaps the
most important . . . everything is better with bacon. So, before I take my leisurely shuffle off of
this mortal coil from a bacon induced coronary, I think it is time to reflect
on where I have been and take stock in where I am heading. Truth be told, I have heretofore lead a
semi-charmed kind of life (thanks Third Eye Blind). Despite my continual efforts to ass things up
a bit and make rash decisions in life that should never work out, things have
somehow always fallen into place. To say
that I am not risk adverse would be an understatement and when you combine that
mentality with a spouse that is always double dog daring you to jump, you have
the makings for an inevitable disaster.
As a parent, I spend a fair amount of my time defining excellence for my
two young men that need a beacon on the horizon to guide them along their
journey. By my estimation, there are two
ways to obtain excellence. Being “the
best” or being “pretty good”.
Confused? Think of it in medical
terms. One can either choose to be a
general practitioner or find a specialty to invest your soul into. I have always been the former. A jack of all trades . . . master of none. I have never considered myself the best at
anything. I am however, “pretty good” at
almost anything I put my mind to. For
instance, I am in pretty good shape, I am pretty good at sports, I was pretty
good at school, I am a pretty good husband and a pretty good father. . . etc,
etc, etc. The alternative, of course, is
to be the best in one or more of these categories. One could be the epitome of fitness, a
professional athlete, a decorated scholar, father of the year or the husband
that never forgets a birthday. I am none
of these, and few are fortunate enough to be the best at everything in their
lives. I have found that being “pretty
good” at everything has led to my own personal excellence. So, on which side of this coin my children
fall matters not as long as they remember what I have taught them. Whether they are the “best” at one particular
thing and a disaster at the next or are “pretty good” at everything, the key is
to poor their heart into everything they do and the end result will inevitably
be excellence. .
This fine morning leaves the Jack Butler Hotel once more vacant
and lonely. We truly enjoyed the time
with our visitors from home and were quite sad to bid them farewell. The anxiety was somewhat lessened with the
knowledge that we would see them all again very soon. For now, we will transition back into our
normal day to day routine and enjoy the turning of the seasons. The weather has been phenomenal over the past
two weeks and to call it “Fall” would be a bit premature. The chill in the morning air, however, pays
homage to the fact that winter is on our doorstep. Leaves are falling despite the warm daytime
temperatures and the sweet smell of the local harvest fills the air. We have seemingly survived the growing pains
of moving overseas, changing schools and houses and in the grander scheme of
things generally turning our world upside down.
It is time now to remain still for a bit and let it all soak in. These are the salad days. We have managed to return to the life we led
back home. Work, School and Play . . .
the usual mix of activities that we know to be our life. The eldest has returned to sport and has
resumed his training in the martial arts.
He is very pleased with this and as a result has a returned spring in
his youthful step. He is a sporty lad
and it is a much shorter list to describe those activities that he does not participate
in. He is an All American kid with a
European swagger. Loves and plays all
sports with a fair level of proficiency yet remains faithful to his
studies. The little brother? Not to be dismissed as a spare has a dazzle
all his own that can’t be denied. He is
beginning to show signs that the language is sinking in and emotional growth is
evident. Independent as the day is long,
keeping him under wraps so to speak is a daily chess match that he seems far
better at than I. Both children seem to
be absorbing the lessons we hoped they would learn from this experience and
while slow and frustrating, the language barrier is slowly starting to
crumble. We are an impatient lot, so “soon”
is never soon enough, but I have confidence that both children will be fully
bilingual in the end and have ultimately bright futures down whatever path they
choose. As for me, I have taken the road
less traveled by and that has made all the difference.
So, in the end, I hope that when I do finally lay this life to
rest they will inscribe on my tombstone:
“Here lays Jack Butler, a pretty good guy.” That is all I have for today and this project
feels as though it is in many ways coming to a close. I haven’t decided yet where to go from here,
but will let you know when I figure it out.
Goodbye for now. R.
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