Citius , Altius, Fortius

Greetings y'all : Here we sit on the dawn of new Olympic games. I'll begin by saying god luck to all involved in these games ( remember they merely games). This American believes in London's ability to be successful. So speaking from a personal perspective the Robinson Boys will continue to believe in and thrive with this hopey changey thing. Let's face it we've been faced with interesting obstacles and without internalized hope we'd be south east of despair. As opposed to our actual location - South East of disorder. What another random Jimmy Buffet reference ? You betcha ! We took care of our obligations yesterday then embraced our inner Ra and inner Poseidon by spending five hours absorbing vitamin D and swimming in the pool. I love my little mer- man cub.  Five hours fuss free! He humbled me when he willing and sans prompting allowed every one to use his boogie board . He even gave rides to the wee ones. He also played frisbee with the life guards. He does great with older kids and younger kids he can help   guide. Peers his age ? Not so much. But I'm embracing the comforting memory of yesterday. He and I swam and played and laughed so much I can't determine if my sides hurt from laughing or playing and quite frankly I don't care. Xander brought up two little bottles of bubbles. Yes we need to make some home made ones . So we had great fun blowing and chasing bubbles, while giggling ( I'm man enough to giggle) and enjoying each other. A little boy , infant, had screamed when he first was put in the pool. The mom smiled and consoled him. He calmed down and even smiled when Xander played dolphin around him , then let him sit on a step holding the boogie board. He saw us blowing bubbles and grinned. I gave him my jar, for being brave, happy and well because it feels good to share. Xander kept blowing , then shared his with me saying- "you're a really nice man, you share with strangers just because" All I could do was smile and say thanks. OK I didn't share to stroke my ego but because it reminded me that as a parent I am under a microscope. It's easy to go about my business oblivious to that fact. It's oft times hard to realize what exactly our children take from us in any given moment. Will he remember that moment or will he remember me yelling at him a few days ago. Tis a slippery slope of self consciousness  and self awareness we teeter upon. Personally I know how we view any given moment is based on personal perception. I'll be honest I love my family dearly ,yet I rarely interject my memories into conversation when we gather. Not because they are wrong but because I like hearing others perspectives. So I wonder - down the road when junior mint is regaling my grand children with tales of his youth what will the moments that are burned into his memory cells ? What will be his perception of his youth ? Only time will tell , I can't predict the future. I can only learn from the past and stay in the present. It is my, and probably, every parents hope and dream our progeny go forth and change the world for the better. In my eyes that includes universal concern for all sentient beings to be happy an free of suffering ( HH Dalai Lama) . To have a sustainable lush planet for all future generations. If I may misquote what I think is Native American saying or sentiment - we don't this planet we are borrowing it from our children . So yes Opie I hope you embrace the Olympic motto -" Citius Altius Fortius" learn faster , go higher and be stronger than I ever was! Life is real but games are just games. Winning isn't everything , I question if winning is anything? It doesn't define us but gives us a false sense of superiority or inferiority.   Thanks for reading about us today. Enjoy the spirit of the games - success through effort.