A special time

I’m just back from several days of vacation with my son Grant. We started at Lake Tahoe, nourishing my love of the mountains, and then spent a couple days in Reno, nourishing his love of cars. Hot August Nights, a nationally-known car show, was chalking up its 25th year, with probably thousands of cars touring the city.

The greatest joy of the trip was being able to spend time with Grant, both of us largely unplugged from our normal routines and distractions. At 15, nearing 16, he’s contemplating what to do with his life. Paraphrasing Rilke, Grant is living in the questions more than finding answers, and it was a privilege to be able to hear him articulate a few of those questions and possible answers.

With my daughter off to college in a few short weeks, I’m reminded of how fleeting life is. Often we don’t recognize this until we encounter a sudden, unexpected transition. Too soon, Grant will also be off. Fortunately, in the coming years, I’ll have the memories from this week to recall.

 

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  • Kristen, thanks for taking time to leave a comment. Much appreciated.

    I had a similar experience to yours: fishing with my dad. I didn’t like fish, I didn’t like cleaning the fish even more — but trolling in a boat was pretty cool.

  • It sounds like a wonderful trip for both father and son. I am sure you both will think of this week for years to come. I still remember going fishing on the Merrimack River with my dad. I didn’t really like fishing all that much. I just thought the tackle box was kind of cool. And my dad. Anyhow, I am glad you were able to have this experience.