It's the Roots
It's what we don't see that matters.
A shrub is planted in clay. The root system is limited. Can't breathe. Can't branch out for water. I don't care what the guy at the store told you or what he sold you, there is no magic potion. It can be fixed, but it'll take some hard work. Amend the soil. Raise the shrub. Things like that.
Problem is, we don't see the roots. Leaves wilt, get sickly. Spindly. We throw fertilizer on the ground. Spray it with Superthrive or something with the word "Organic" in the title. We just want it to look pretty, like it's suppose to look. Like we imagine. Like what we want.
But it's what we don't see that's the problem.
My kids are good kids. I say this because karma shouldn't work this way. Not after my teen years. I'm not taking credit for them being good kids. My wife and I raised them, shaped them, but they're their own person. If I punched them in the face until they were 10 then, yeah, they might be a little goofy. At least I haven't screwed them up.
I figured some things out since high school. I corrected some wrongs and made some rights. Maybe I turned that karmic river just before it went over the falls. Just in time to have kids. They don't have training wheels anymore. We've let go of the bike and they're heading down the road on their own. What's inside them, whatever makes them tick, makes them think and feel and decide, I'm not sure how much I had to do with it. Whatever it is, that's what will determine which way they turn when they're out of sight.
They got some good roots. Now hope for good weather. Because a hurricane can break even the strongest tree in half.
A shrub is planted in clay. The root system is limited. Can't breathe. Can't branch out for water. I don't care what the guy at the store told you or what he sold you, there is no magic potion. It can be fixed, but it'll take some hard work. Amend the soil. Raise the shrub. Things like that.
Problem is, we don't see the roots. Leaves wilt, get sickly. Spindly. We throw fertilizer on the ground. Spray it with Superthrive or something with the word "Organic" in the title. We just want it to look pretty, like it's suppose to look. Like we imagine. Like what we want.
But it's what we don't see that's the problem.
My kids are good kids. I say this because karma shouldn't work this way. Not after my teen years. I'm not taking credit for them being good kids. My wife and I raised them, shaped them, but they're their own person. If I punched them in the face until they were 10 then, yeah, they might be a little goofy. At least I haven't screwed them up.
I figured some things out since high school. I corrected some wrongs and made some rights. Maybe I turned that karmic river just before it went over the falls. Just in time to have kids. They don't have training wheels anymore. We've let go of the bike and they're heading down the road on their own. What's inside them, whatever makes them tick, makes them think and feel and decide, I'm not sure how much I had to do with it. Whatever it is, that's what will determine which way they turn when they're out of sight.
They got some good roots. Now hope for good weather. Because a hurricane can break even the strongest tree in half.
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message 1:
by
L.A.
(new)
Feb 13, 2011 12:35PM
Very indepth look at the art of growing up and raising children. Then taking a look and wondering how you did such a good job. But you are right about the hurricane, it only takes one for damage.
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The second my son was born, I became infinitely aware of life's fragility.
