Wednesday, September 28, 2011

Back to Earth

My parents were liars. When I was a kid they said, "Shoot for the stars, buddy." Yeah, well I was five years old then and I took things quite literally. Sure, I jumped off of a roof or two in an attempt to shoot for the stars. And I might have broken a few bones. I mean, expectations were set pretty high. What else was I supposed to do?

Maybe there is a smarter way to shoot for these so called stars that my parents are so fond of, thought my eighteen year old self. So, naturally I went to college and studied astronomy and physics. It turns out that you have to be good at math. Things just didn't add up. Needless to say, my dreams got shot down and landed battered & broken in my driveway. It's too late for me. But it's not for you. That's what I told little Billy.

One day I was shopping and I overheard a mother tell her child, "You can do it Billy. Shoot for the stars kiddo." And I stopped and looked little Billy right in his sad, pathetic face and I said, "No Billy. No. You can't do it. You'll never be an astronaut. You can shoot for the stars all you want. But NASA will just shoot you down. Trust me, I tried. And I mean look at you, and look at me. If I can't make it, then you sure as hell won't." Who knows maybe one day Billy a.k.a. Joseph Mazzello, will fly high into the sky after him and his brother a.k.a. Elijah Wood miraculously build an airplane; as seen in the movie Radio Flyer.

What doesn't kill you only makes you stronger....? No. What doesn't kill you leaves you weak, mangled on the ground, battered and bruised, with potentially permanent scars. On the other hand, what doesn't kill you leaves you grounded. And that ain't such a bad thing. Is it?

- Ryan

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