Monday, January 16, 2006

Better than Best?

My daughter is graduating from high school this year. My son is embroiled in fraternity life and going through inititation this week. (I'm wondering if he thinks this is as hard as two-a-day football practice yet - I doubt it).

All of these things take me back in my memories to those times for me. Wow.

I was one of the lucky ones - I think. I knew that high school was as good as it was going to get. I always was amazed at all of the people that were in such a hurry to get out of high school so they could be "free". I never quite saw it like that. I was completely aware that at that point in my life I truly "had it all" and it would probably be until I retired that I could have it that good ever again!

So it was sad for me to leave high school where I had the entire world at the tips of my optimistic fingers. I had to go to college.

I was going to be a swimmer in college - heck, they even paid for me to go. So I figured I would join a fraternity and make the most of it. The only problem was that I hated fraternities and all they stood for. I hated the thought of someone telling me where to go, how to dress and what to do.

But fate stepped in and I was "discovered" by Sigma Nu, the anti-fraternity. Animal House. Tops on campus in grades and athletics but had no social anything. No pressure. No Izod shirts. No nothing but beer and brawling.

It was as if I had died and gone to heaven.

We were made up of varsity athletes for the most part. Extroverts from all over the country. I was exposed to so many things (see picture below for better example). In short, I found my place in the sun - and boy did I shine.

Something amazing happened during that time. It may have been the time spent together or the "us against them" thing - but whatever it was, it was for life. Those bonds were much stronger than any I had known in high school. Those bonds were real. It must be something like soldiers that serve together feel towards each other.

But enough about all of that. I guess my thoughts on this are that I am very happy that my daughter is making this milestone and can decide (maybe 10 times) what she wants to do for the rest of her life. And for my son, well I just pray that his fraternity experience is an equal to my own. He grew up around my fraternity brothers and I like to think that he witnessed that bond and wanted some of his own like that.

Either way, time marches on and is marked with the passing of many traditions - and they are going through two of my all time favorite ones at this very moment and I wish them mazeltov.

Life is Love and Love is Life.

God Bless

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