No Laughing Matter

One of the great joys of fatherhood so far has been to see the joyfulness and wonderment in Hunter. Recently we went to a work party where many people finally got meet 2.0 for the first time. And like the little Show Pony that he is, he did not disappoint. He pulled himself up on tables, and crawled as if he knew people were watching. And, he spent much of the time growling, and smiling at people, because ponies, um, growl? Anyway, he had fun.

I did not get any video of his growling, and I thought that is OK because I never posted any video of him laughing either, so, I figured, why would I want video of him growling? Well, damn it, I wish I had videoed it because just seeing him smile and discover brings an unspeakable joy. And sometimes we need unspeakable, frivolous, just because, joy. And Hunter blesses us with such joy that we cannot even begin to share how lucky we are. Each day... some new heights and promises of more. Just as he crawled so early; and sits up so early; begins each day with a wonderful smile, I promise him daily to raise him to continue do great things. Today's world needs some greatness.

With gas prices soaring, and home values flooring, and countries warring, thinking of the world we are leaving for Hunter can be such a bummer. The people in charge don't care to change because they are part of the .1% making fortunes off my son's future, and, since they were purposeful in their destruction and terror, they see no need for change, especially since their plan, like so many working family's livelihoods, have been executed with precision.

Watching giant corporations get swallowed by mega-corporations- Yahoo! is in so much trouble that they can be bought by Microsoft?, uhoh!, Starbucks is closing stores, Yeah?!, Home Depots are going Kaputs, an oil company reaped billions of dollars in profit in one quarter and it was deemed a "loss,"- one can only shake in fear over the future being stolen from our kids.

I teach my students everyday, small ways they can retake their futures, their dreams, their planet. Each person has to do something small to benefit another. And change the goals and perceptions of our nations leaders. Because right now Nero is in charge. In his chariot, speeding away. And while he may not actually have the brains or foresight to execute his mother, he appears to be decent enough to eat his own children, as Swift suggests. I have a proposal for him.

And it starts with a vision and promise of a better future, and wonderful little things like a baby's growl, or funky haircut or beautiful smile. When I think of Hunter's future, I know he will achieve greatness in his way, because each time I see him, all this oil-tinged paranoia fades with a laugh.