It is interesting that two of the men who have helped shape my life share a birthday today, and third has his birthday next week. Maybe that is meaningful in some astrological sense that I don't know about. As it is, I'm going to tell you a little bit about all three of them.
Stephen King turns 59 today. While horror was always an interest of mine (changed from being scared to scaring), through his books King let me know it was okay to write it out and want to scare people for money. He is the one who said, "It is okay to turn YOUR nightmares into OTHER PEOPLE'S nightmares. And I've been doing it in one way or another ever since. I've never met the man I call Uncle Stevie and I probably never will. I wish there was some way of letting him know how much his books have meant to me without seeming like a stalker creep.
Celebrating his 60th birthday today is my Pop. My stepfather. We didn't get along at first but somewhere along the road things changed. Maybe I grew up some and maybe he realized that no one could change me but me. Whatever it is, he and I get along great now. Without his assistance (he'll say he didn't really do anything but give me a hand up and I say going to war was a pretty big deal) i would not have gone back to school when I did. I wouldn't be writing this now. I tell him thank you, but it never seems like enough. Maybe telling everyone else will help. He doesn't have a computer so he won't be reading this, but it still feels good to tell him thank you in front of a larger audience.
Next week, my Dad has his birthday. He will be 47. He has it rough a lot of the time and loves telling me about it. I'll be honest, there are days when I wish he'd call someone else. ANd then I think about it a bit more and realize he tells me because there isn't anyone else. Not to say he doesn't know any other people, but I am his only son. I'm the one who will pass on the name. Sure, he missed out on my childhood, but that's okay. If he had been there things would be different between us and not neccesarily for the better. As it is, we can to each other like equals. That means a lot to me. He always says that I'm the only person he knows that is smarter than him. I love hearing that. He gets to compliment himself at the same time he compliments me. Any kid will tell you, sometimes it only takes a smile from a parent to feel like the king of the mountain.
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3 comments:
you didn't mention one important father, Grandpa - and you never know maybe you will have a great father-in-law someday like I do
Grandpa gets his own posts.
THanks for mentioning Pop,as you know it has been sort of hard for me to stay with him sometimes,, but how you feel has helped alot...also I am glad you and Tom get along,since I feel pretty guilty about my choices back then.
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