It's another glorious Sunday morning here in Paradise, and while Susan is off doing the garage sale thing with her sister, I'm sitting in the kitchen looking at the lake in our back yard. The Brown Pelican that's been here for the past couple of weeks is still hanging around, and as I'm writing this he (or she) is circling over the lake like a glider riding a thermal . The ducks and the turtles are out in force, and it seems as if all is right with the world.
It's also Spring Break at Southern Illinois University, which means that Adam is back in Da House, if only for a couple of days. He brought three of his friends with him from Carbondale, and he's going to be showing them Texas for the next few days. This will probably be the only time we'll be able to see Adam prior to this summer, so we're enjoying it while we can. Of course, the last thing Adam wants to do is to hang around the house, so it's not as if we'll actually see much of him, but it's just nice to have him back home again.
Before dinner last night, we went back to the lake, where I watched Adam and his friends hit golf balls into the lake. The problem with hitting golf balls by moonlight is that you really cannot see where the balls are heading. Yes, this can indeed be a problem, as we discovered when a neighbor began yelling at us- "You almost took out one of my windows!! I'm going to call the police!!" Oops...our bad.... That was the end of that, and we all skulked back inside with our tails between our legs.
Before they went out for the evening, Adam and his friends were looking for recommendations for bars to go to. Being the big drinker that I'm not (it's not time for my annual beer yet), I wasn't much help. It felt distinctly odd discussing places to drink with my stepson. Yes, I was a college student once, but I can't imagine a circumstance where I would have ever discussed bars with my father. Even if I had, I doubt I ever would have taken him up on a recommendation. After all, there are some things one just doesn't discuss with one's parents, no? (Uh, Dad?...is there a strip club around here??)
It's good to see the person that Adam is turning into. He has so many dreams and aspirations, and he is intelligent and creative enough to be able to turn these things into realities. I'm a bit envious of him. To be almost 21 and to see the possibilities laid out in front of you just waiting to be seized...it must be an incredible feeling. I'm certainly not bemoaning my fate, but my time for that sort of wild-eyed innocence has passed, and other, more subtle and incremental possibilities remain. Adam has his whole life in front of him; it's going to be interesting to see where it leads him.
Susan has done a hell of a job raising both Adam and Eric, and she has much to proud of. I've basically just been along for the ride over the past few years. Most of the heavy lifting had been done long before I came along. My role has been primarily to be an adult male role model. I hope that I've held up my end of the bargain, because I adore this family.
Both Adam and Eric owe a great deal to Susan. They have been her entire world for quite some time, and they are the people they are now in large part to the sacrifices that she has made over the years. The wonderful thing is that both Adam and Eric recognize the sacrifices that their mother has made for them, and are appreciative of her for those sacrifices. Perhaps someday they will do the same things for their own children.
Yes, in case anyone was wondering, I am indeed a VERY lucky man....
