A Big Life

They say that a picture tells a thousand words.

I know that I can write a book off the photo in this blog.

In fact, it's a book that I've thought about for a long time.

We can all do it.

Look at a photo of ourselves from thirty or so years before.

Think about the dreams trapped in the head under that mop of hair.

That skinny, clear face. All the hopes, dreams, desires.

I loved basketball. My finest memories from high school come from wearing that jersey. I could really shoot the ball and I had a funky release. I had a lot of friends too. The one's sitting in the stands used to chant:

Fuzzy! Fuzzy! Fuzzy!

When I was sitting on the bench.

I did a bit of that because I never wanted to do anything but shoot the ball.

I was a sensitive kid. I fell hard for girls. I had the best friends in the world. I laughed a lot. I loved my family. I loved my dogs. I respected and loved my Mom. I respected, loved and feared my Dad.

I hated my hair!

I could never control it!!

I can control it now.

I dreamed of a big life.

I already loved reading and writing by then. I already loved the Yankees, Bruce and the Stones. I could eat a pound of pasta by then. At one sitting.

I still love all of those things. I just can't eat that much pasta anymore.

What that kid didn't know was that life would be heartbreaking.

It's hard to tell a kid those sorts of things, right?

The shame of life is what dies within us while we are still alive.

Most of what was inside that kid hasn't died yet.

But sadly some things have.

I'm not sure how that kid would have reacted had someone taken him on a trip to the future.

To now.

The travel host showing him the love in his life.

But also the pain.

32 years or so in the future.

A great many things accomplished.

A whole bunch of dreams realized.

It's pretty heady stuff.

It'll make your hair fall out just thinking about it.