Well, here we are on my final evening of solitude. That is to say that my family returns tomorrow from their trip and the truth of the matter is that I could not be happier. I actually don't feel much like posting tonight but had previously said I would and feel I should fulfill my obligation to you, my readers. It seems like an unusual and somewhat counterproductive what to begin this post but I actually believe that it fits in with the overall theme, at least the one I have roughly sketched out in my mind.
Prior to this weekend actually starting, I had in my mind the idea that all my friends would be available to meet me at my whim and much merriment and beer drinking would ensue. It is worth mentioning perhaps that I took no actual proactive steps to ensure that this happened and at the time of this posting I believe that a majority of these people still have no idea that my family was out of town. In fairness, I was out a couple of times and have no right to complain, nor am I actually doing so. I suppose what I'm saying is that I previously held the assertion that I did not get out with my friends more because I was in fact too busy. In fact, I still maintain that is in part true. Additionally, almost all of my friends are married with kids, and jobs, and well - lives of their own as well. This is the reality of life. It was John Lennon who stated that 'life is what happens when you are busy making other plans.' I may have paraphrased a bit but I think it is a truly insightful statement.
I spent a majority of my final day at the university at which I normally only see during the evenings, when attending my classes. I actually had no reason for having to be there, but as I started working full-time almost right after high school, I thought I would spend a day as a 'student'. I went to the library for a while, had lunch at the campus pub. While the trip may not fit exactly into the entertaining category, it was interesting and I generally enjoyed it. What my point here is simply for one reason or another I missed out on an experience that many of my peers enjoyed.
It is often said that in order to find happiness in life, one should 'do what they love.' On will turn my attention at this point to my son, who is currently foremost in my thoughts. He recently announced that he would like to be a firetruck when he grows up. While I understand I am a little biased, I would say that at this point he would make a fantastic one. The obvious point here is that no matter how long and hard he practices, he is never going to be able to reach his current ambition as a career firetruck. Let us suppose that over time that this changes to fireman. It could of course change to anything but for the sake of brevity let us take the obvious next choice. Well, there are an infinite number of reasons why he may also not be able to become a fireman. The ones that immediately come to mind is that the test to become a physical element and he may not be able to satisfactorily complete this part. Additionally, at least in my area I have been told that every year hundreds of applicants apply to fill only a handful of positions. While it may seem impossible to me, it is possible that he simply won't be chosen. The sad reality of life is that despite what others tell you, there are no guarantees that if you work hard and dedicated that you will fulfill your dreams. I apologize if this sounds unnecessarily pessimistic but I'm afraid I believe it to be true. While I certainly agree with the maxim that one should do what one loves, I'm afraid that the reality of the situation is that ultimately one may have to settle for trying to love what one does. This post is getting WAY to deep and philosophical for old Canucklehead, instead of doing what I would normally due which is to throw a sex or fart joke in here, I think I'll just sign out. I hope you understand if you don't hear from me for a day or two but I have some quality family time ahead of me. I hope you try to do the same - and LOVE doing it. Cheers!