Rhythm and Flow

Tonight I am writing with my usual musical accompaniment and the words of Theodore Roosevelt. I could write an entire post around any one of the three quotes below but tonight I am using all of them.

That’s because they tie into my day and into my life. These are words I carry in my heart as a father, friend, man and son.

Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.
Believe you can and you’re halfway there.
Whenever you are asked if you can do a job, tell ’em, ‘Certainly I can!’ Then get busy and find out how to do it.

Sixth grade is a hard year for many students. There is a big transition with the amount of work and the expectations that come with it and my son is carrying the load.

He amazes me with his composure and his work ethic. He is maturing right in front of us and I am seeing glimpses of the man he will one day become. We have a long road before that day, but I couldn’t be prouder.

The big guy isn’t perfect. He has his flaws and I am sorry to say that some of them come from me. I want nothing more than for him to only take on my good traits and none of my bad, but sometimes the sins of the father are visited upon the son.

Tonight I sent him to bed at 10 which is a solid hour beyond when I want him going to bed. He was up later because he missed school for the Jewish New Year and had work to make up.

Values, Hard Work and Dedication

He wanted to stay up to finish but I told him sleep was more important. He agreed and tomorrow he’ll do a little bit before school and finish the last couple of items during recess.

I want him to be a kid. I want him to enjoy school and am anxious to help him love learning. But there is a balance I am trying to strike of instilling values, hard work and dedication.

We talked about Teddy Roosevelt and how those 100 year old quotes are still relevant today.

I told him why they are important to me and how I thought they could help him. We talked about many other things including how there is a rhythm and flow to life.

Rhythm and Flow In Writing

There is a rhythm and flow to my writing that I rely upon. Rhythm and flow are what I hold onto because they are my support and my guide.

Rhythm and flow are where I find balance and meaning. I don’t know exactly how to describe it other than to say it reminds me of the high I get from exercise. It is the rush of adrenaline that accompanies the clinkety clank of the weights or the swish of a basket.

Sometimes I find my rhythm within the first key stroke and other moments it is harder to come by. But practice and effort bring it out more easily and it makes me smile because it is the writer’s high I feel.

I shared Georgie with you because that bastard is making things happen for me. I have written about him here before but during the past two weeks he has been garnering an awful lot of attention.

It is an odd place to be in to know that guy who tried to microwave his mother’s cat would be the source of that attention. Some people described him as being evil but that is too easy.

Georgie wasn’t bad because he didn’t know better, he was bad because he did and he didn’t care.

People always say that there is someone bigger and stronger and that was true of Georgie, but there wasn’t anyone meaner.

Music and Writing

The Best Is Yet To Come

Just before he fell asleep he asked me if high school was the best part of my life and I shook my head no. I had a great time in school, more fun in college and still more after.

I didn’t tell him that the years since have also included some of the hardest moments because that is a conversation for a different time. But I did tell him the best is yet to come because I believe that and that I want that for him too.

Aim higher. That is the goal, a little bit higher and a little bit farther.