A life in the day: Analogies

Our walk to airport parking exposed my multi-conscious state of mind. As Kevin and I walked to bring the car around to pick-up our significant others, I found myself reminiscing to relate to his circumstances. I realized the similitude of our lives; away from home and away from support from loved ones, notwithstanding his pseudo in-laws were ‘in loco parentis’. Upon further review, it was a six of one, half dozen of the other proposition.

I was in an ‘absence makes the heart grow fonder’ phase with my son. I wanted to be proud of his achievement, of putting his past behind him, the power of beginning anew. That often entails getting out of Dodge. Surely I could relate to that. In the here and now, I choose to focus on my intellectual self to counter the physical jetlag experience and the emotional adrenalin rush experienced only moments ago. If memory would serve correct, it’s exactly what a father should do, if he could be worth considered worth his weight in salt.

So Kevin, I say, “I see your wife has graduated to Quaaludes”. Kevin broke stride ever so slightly and replied, “No, whatta ya mean?” That New York accent and attitude was, is, and probably shall always be a staple in his disposition. I stopped and grab his arm; I mean… she can’t walk… she can’t talk…I mean she’s a dysfunctional mess… Kevin being Kevin, in proper faithful fashion stood his ground, despite knowing full well his denial was futile; yet he replied; “she’s just really excited to see you guys.”

My standard response could have been ventriloquist by him… “And now my son, you assume I’m an idiot;” stated rhetorically rather than in question form. Kevin has a baseline tendency to acquiesce upon a challenge to roughly a third of the truth. His reply “she had a couple of drinks”. “Kevin, that’s like saying the Hindenburg, suffered smoke damage. She’s not smoldering, she’s ablaze!”

My substance dependency argument can be simply reduced to keeping my loved ones alive; one day at a time. Keep them fighting until such time they find the elusive reason to change their ways, the elusive reason to live; to fight for the meaning of their life. My fluency with addiction at an early age deemed it to be significantly relative later in life, which just so happens to be this point in time.

As I snapped back to the here and now from my alternate state of reminiscence, I found Kevin and I had funneled our way through to the front of the airport. I maintained my upbeat staunch disposition, all the while the wheels inside my head spun disturbingly in control. Just for the record, it is what I liked most about having a father when he chose to play that role. Even if he was proven to be wrong, he was staunch in his position. It was bigger than being right, it was righteous. It was worth a fight to the death; it was a chemical romance.

The power of love is indeed a curious thing; and though the future is suggestive of the past; and the present reminds us of the harsh realities of life in the past, in this moment I was okay with it being later; later as some time in the future. Rome wasn’t built in a day, Confucius waited centuries for his brilliance to be presently recognized, and for God’s sake George W. Bush was actually the President of the United States for not one, but two terms.

And with a little help from above… we’ll feel the power of love…