Back in Time: Adaptation

When the trio emerged from their private consultation to announce the conflicting words “Kiley is pregnant,” it resonated like concentric circles from a pebble thrown into a pond. When our kids are still kids then ‘decide’ to have kids the resultant rings become ripples which are sure to reach the shore. I speak from experience fore I too was a kid that had a kid albeit a lifetime ago. The generational resemblance of a fast running stream created a tidal wave of concern from within.

Someone once asked; “What was the worst day in your life” to which I immediately replied “the day my wife left me to raise my infant child alone. She followed with, “What was the best day in your life”… to which, before she finished her question I countered “the day my life left leaving me to raise my infant child.” Best day, worst day, same day; a deference of progression through pain.

Adulation and Anticipation are similarly flawed in that they share the same short lived characteristics. Exaltation and expectation are initially a source of gratification. The day we turn to face ourselves and catch a glimpse of our life’s realities typically weigh us down to reflect upon our past, resolved only through the channel of wisdom and that comes in time and experience.

We have a tendency to feel good about ourselves when our loved ones place us upon a pedestal. The higher we allow ourselves to be raised, the greater the impact of the fall. Therefore, I opt to be self deprecating when those occasions tend to arise. It seems to work for me as a circuit breaker mechanism with regard to the peril of pomposity. In short, it helps me to remain grounded.

Therefore we adapt from the fast and furious lifestyle to the strange fascination of becoming quietly accountable. At that moment, no one could tell me of the horrendous transition I was about to untake. I was immune to consultation. It had to be learned on my own, in my own time. If I knew then, what I would evolve to know now, I would choose to remain blissfully ignorant.

So, as the trio emerged from their private consultation, each soul foreshadowed their disposition. My son Kevin treaded lightly veiling his giddiness. My partner wore the signs of cautious optimism swimming in a sea of internal conflict. Kiley appeared to be up to her neck,floundering for whatever flotsam accessible. Clearly, she was overwhelmed by the buoyancy, or lack thereof, of her condition. Their bodies constricted as they prepared for the ultra conservatives’ lecture on the drowning repercussions of their actions.

I immediately put their distress to rest stating, “Congratulations” in the form of a question. All three sets of shoulders heaved a sigh of relief in concert. Circumstance dictates behavior. I do not subscribe to the theory that swimming upstream resolves conflict. I am however not averse to a passionate disagreement or controlled anger. Much can be learned from controversy. When it sinks to the ocean’s depths, we grow and we change and soon we drift to the waters edge.

Turn and face the strain.