Father And Son

for Ryan There was a time when you were younger by far than you can remember, a time when I was always in front of you, because EXPERIENCE, in its total disregard for our human frailty, came careening down the hills and rushing up the valleys of Time and WHAM! hit us with all the force of its necessity. Mostly, the shock went over your head because you were still small in stature, giving Experience little to strike. And I took the brunt of it, in my face, in my face, in my whole being, because that is what fathers do. Then the broken pieces of Experience floated around us, harmless, their velocity spent. They were like bubbles and you jumped up and walloped them with all your strength... It's different now, isn't it? You stand at full stature, facing everything Experience has to offer. You are confident of your strength. When Experience strikes you with a full body blow, you stand your ground, and watch the broken pieces floating past you. And you smile as you see those defeated pieces coalesce into the Time of Your Life.