The Boy Teacher and the Father Student # 59; Don’t Back Down

There is a space that is a large “Mud Room” like from New England. It is a Patio down Mexico way. It is a screen room in the Midwest. Maybe also a play and workbench room. But it is not any of that at the moment and for another week. Crazy quails nested in the wall top there. The Boy laid down the law. 1. No lights on. 2. Seeds left out. 3. Screen door closed. 4. No yelling or playing. 5. No drilling or hammering or shop vacuuming. So basically we can only walk through the room.

Now that is cool and very good general rules. But here is the rub most folk would not see. The quail nested there for a reason. We are the “Loud” family. Just think of a preacher that needs no microphone to address a 300 soul church. Think of a boy who can call from outside to inside and be heard by a dad with head phones blaring. We do loud.

B: Dad you need to be quiet or you will scare the quail.

F: Ha ha I got you there. And you will not figure it out because you cannot think large yet.

B: OK, I know I have to listen to a lesson so get over it.

F: That is the wrong term. It should be get over “with it”.

B: Well get over that. Hihihi

F: Why did the quail perch there?

B: because it is a perfect place to perch and nest.

F: Why?

B: Why not?

F: We have many birds around including Kestrel, Hawks and Magpie. We see them but they do not come in our yard because why?

B: You already told me it is because we are so loud and play so hard in the yard.

F: So if those birds may eat your egg babies where would you go?

B: Where the eater birds would not go. Wow, I get it now. We should be loud to scare away the predators.

F: Or maybe we upset the order of nature. But as we talk we know that we are part of that nature.

B: Way too heavy dad so let’s play loud out in the yard.

F: That is what I am talking ‘bout boy. What is your loud story for the day?

Now here is the tough one. You are part of the whole. You must stand your ground. Our Birds are teaching us that being who we are is vital to the whole. Never be turned the other way unless it is repentance. We just have no choice lest we lose ourselves. You are good. So stay good, your quail will appreciate it. We scare the other birds.

(Now check out this next very accurate reporting of our conversation.)

B: That concept is called symbiotic.

F: How about Symbiosis?

B: Same thing really. Not parasitic or predator, just “using” each other.

F: Well you and I use each other. So?

B: Same species so not symbiotic. More like a herd, murder or flock or school.

F: “Murder” crows, “herd” parrots. I heard someone say a “school” of Dolphins.

B: Dead wrong – they are mammals they are a “pod” which is really like a water herd.

F: Whales?

B: Fun one “Gam”.

F: Your mind is a steel trap. Amazing

B: Dad you have been preaching this stuff to me since I can remember.

F: Swallowtail butterfly defense?

B: Mimmick.

B: Dad do not talk about this stuff in front of my friends. They already think you are very weird. And yes I know you should never be ashamed of knowing something. But with my buddies I like to be normal.

F: I don’t like it. But I get it. Hey did I tell you that in ninth grade for the yearbook I got Mr. Know it all. It really was pejorative but friends told me it was not to them. Back then nerds played in the orchestra and chess. While we were playing chess we would look up words in encyclopedias and quiz each other.

B: Cool I got “perjortive” It means negative. I got it by how you used it. SLAM Dunk on you!!

F: Just like back then, we have so much to do. How do we have time for this crazy stuff?

B: Khanh said it is just like with him. You just keep talking. You never shut your mouth. Hihihihi.

B: It is OK sometimes I do not pay attention but for some reason it still goes in my brain. I decided you are a different species. So, like you like to do, back to symbiotic. “Nailed It!!”.

F: Wow I need to sit down and have a smoke and a good stiff drink, make it a double.

B: Ha Ha you do not drink or smoke anymore so you have to suffer like you make me.

And the danged beat goes on and I am becoming a conduit and not a professor.

Now of spirit we dance with each other. Is a yin and yang different or the same. Is a Buddhist and Hindi different than my Christianity when it gets to the core of love? This boy of mind is surrounded by atheists and Buddhists. He has a healthy dose of the kind of worship of Mother Earth like a Navajo. His only belief system seems straight forward Christian. So more often it is the words we use that suggest who we are in the real. A definition of us? Here we think not.

F: How would you like to drive a great big 18 wheeler going 80 mph down a hard grade out of the mountains?

B: Why would I do that, that is cray cray?

F: Just ‘cuz it is crazy is why you do it.

B: Dad it makes no sense to do stuff because they are crazy.

F: Do you really believe that or is it something your mom teaches you? You jumped off the chimney yesterday; why?

B: Because it was exciting and scary. You are afraid of heights but you go hiking on hikes with heights.

F: It is the war of art and living. You must extend yourself to beyond what you are comfortable with. It does not make sense to most of your buddies and Uncle Jon will not do it but uncle John does it all the time. Uncle Brian is the king of it.

B: Is that like Obama-Trump?

F: I told you those are two entirely different people.

B: No, they are both my presidents since I was born.

F: Good point I reckon.

F: I love the French translation of danger.

B: What is it?

F: Danger or “the” danger “le danger”. Funny huh?

B: Leave me alone.

F: Fair enough

We do not stop to take time to think. We have no time to stop the clock to just sit around and think. (well I do but I am a writer by trade) The conversations are going to and from somewhere. Riding bikes or playing catch – some hiking and a little fishing. Cooking is a great time to chit chat and the Google is just a step away for fact check. But so are all kinds of reference works from Bibles to Buddhist to Dictionaries to law books. We are nerds to a degree but we do not get to only be nerds.

I need to get it together for today. And that is the big let go. Shake it out Dierker. Loosen up. Stretch.