When does a pond become a lake? A big pond...a small lake...a short river...a long life – this is how we classify things. There is probably a geological definition that defines when a certain acreage or a certain gallon capacity is surpassed to change a body of water from a pond (or a really big pond) to a lake, at least by definition. Does that one gallon extra or that hectare (whatever the hell that means) really create a delineation for which we should be concerned?
It is said that water makes up most of the human body and most of the Earth upon which we stand. It has also been said that the world is 85% hydrogen and 16% stupidity. At what point is a human being smart enough to notice that their own personal problems are becoming unmanageable, in that they are, per se, drowning? If that one drop of water converges upon the pond and it suddenly becomes a lake, then surely one mistake might pull a person under.
But is a pond proud? Does it stand on the farm and boast across the landscape, “Hey, I’m a Lake now!” – to which a grizzled old body of water that has always been massive and has always been a Lake, retorts: “Relax, kid – by the end of summer you’ll dry up and be a pond again.” It must be a humbling experience.
More importantly, when does a parent realize that the responsibility of building a strong peer and steering a steady ship far outweigh the risk/reward equation of a life filled with awesome cruises or thrilling adventures on water skis?
The society we have developed into allows for a myriad of problems to inundate us, but what are we to do? We have rivers of stress, lakes of addiction, seas of denial and an ocean’s worth of excuses. Somewhere along the line of human progress we added too much water and someone forgot that we need to release the valves once in a while. A drop of divorce, a hint of homelessness, a touch of tragedy, the requisite dash of drugs and alcohol, a sprinkle of selfishness, and a full measure of misguided thinking, bottom-line hoping, happiness-in-objects wishing, and driven-for-success-living has lead us to a flood of problems both physical and emotional. Might good, sensible parenting take the helm generation after generation and correct our course? The ancients navigated by the stars. All we need now is common sense responsibility. But we get distracted by modern trappings, and bad parents rear lost children.
These problems (“issues” as they are called by the We Can Accomplish Anything by Positive Thinking Campers) have inundated us to the point of saturation. We find it difficult to breathe under all the pressure, and our lakes overspill their borders and wipe out all that we have built of good cities, abundant crops, strong roadways, excellent communication channels and once-proud schools.
We stand back and survey the damage. “Tsk, tsk, this is sad. Nothing could have prevented this from happening!” The wreckage is abysmal, the destitution profound and the healing is only beginning. Had we just opened the tap a little to let the water drain enough to release some pressure, maybe we wouldn’t be counting damage but rather moving forward. Work less, go to the lake more. Fight less, gaze at the river more. Hold less grudges and stroll hand-in-hand along the shore, and marriage ain’t all that hard. You might cuss (and say ain’t) like a sailor, but working together as Captain and First Mate is easier than...Not so easy, is it? It takes work. The Titanic may have gone down in a day, but it wasn’t built in a day either. Do you want your marriage to be the Titanic? Then plan a wedding. If you want your life to resemble the U.S.S. Arizona, then work together to a plan a strategy for a marriage. If you don’t want kids, be honest with each other and prevent that. If you aren’t sure – please take precaution so you don’t become parents unwillingly! If you do want kids, accept the responsibilities that come with the job, and it is a job! The responsibilities are too numerous to list here, but observe a good local mom or dad and you’ll catch on quickly.
The dangers of a bad marriage are rather obvious, but do we ever consider what might occur in the wake as we glide back into our own lives? We get so distracted by cleaning up the bad marriage wreckage that we lose sight of the goals: true happiness, fulfillment, family pride, a mother and father working together to teach their kids to swim.
A good swimmer, after all, has the skills to navigate the challenges of choppy waters and can pace himself for the long haul. A weak swimmer, a child raised between fighting parents, a selfish (or worse, non-existent/weekend) father and a self-absorbed (or worse, distracted and obsessive) mother, panics in the waters of stress, loses oxygen and is either damaged or goes down with the sharks. There are no sharks in the pool, unless you count those other teenagers who find solution in tinctured spoons or hopps-infested waters as being sharks or piranhas or just plain punks. Not to mention all the other sea life bent on destruction – criminals, creeps and crappy future spouses. There are good swimmers in the pools, too, kids who would be smart enough to realize that this metaphor of swimmers is getting...tired.
In the short end of the pool, there is a day we all must come to realize that we need to either sink or swim. This is our life, and we only get one chance to live it well. Society allows for multiple chances to correct the course, but sometimes you get too lost and other times you right the ship. It is laughable that the phrase “YOLO” has consumed the minds of a young generation. You Only Live Once has become a rally cry for anything from good times to extreme partying to outright debauchery. Let’s not forget that we only die once too. Are we willing to have that conversation with our kids while still teaching them to enjoy life? It’s sort of like walking a plank – there is danger but not all fun is deadly. Smart parents...better kids...just a thought.
As we pool (get it?) our resources together to make society a place worth living, one has to hope that oceans of doubt and streams of confusion can flow in the confluence of good judgment, smart planning and teamwork to pacify the rocky waters of our times. Whether you can afford a built-in heated, indoor super pool or a plastic kiddy pool that will be cracked and curbed for a September pick-up-garbage day, or any variation in between from local pool passes to yearly trips to the beach, just be a good parent. Please, someone is drowning out there. It might be your kid, it might be your neighbor’s kid, it might be you. Life preservers are all around you in the form of friends and family. It doesn’t matter if it is a pond or a lake, but it is our jobs as parents to teach our kids to swim well. Don’t let that kid down, and don’t let that kid drown.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
No comments:
Post a Comment