power shift

This past week we read "Arm Wrestling with My Father" by Brad Manning. This story got me thinking about life, from being a small, helpless baby, all the way to adulthood when you care for your parents. I really enjoyed this story as I found out that I can relate very closely to it. My father had his third back surgery in the past 5 years just over a month ago. This has left him weak, in pain, and irritable. He is getting older and is not as strong and physically fit as he once was in his youth. Seeing him in the hospital bed after surgery was a realization for me that my parents aren't invincible and they feel the effects of aging just like everyone else. This opened my eyes as I was the kid who always thought my parents were like teflon, not being affected by anything. It is very easy I suppose to just ignore this and be the ignorant child that still holds on to the misconception that your parents are invincible. However, seeing something like my dad after back surgery shows me the circle of life and the shift of power from them to me. To make things clear, I am not saying that now all of the sudden I am in charge of our whole family; but, I am not going to be the little kid forever and sometime within the future, my generation will take over and make decisions for the whole family. This realization is not necessarily a good or bad thing, just a process of life that has happened since the existence of humanity.