When I explain life to my own kids I feel like an author of the Bible......not because I am holy, oh hell no....... I often speak in parables, and you have to be in the spirit to understand me. The Slinkard Spirit. I have told my kids that the pursuit of anything you want to do in life is like that of a sea turtle.
Did I just confuse the heck out of you? Let me explain, years ago I saw a documentary about sea turtles, it began with their eggs being buried on a beach. Then if the conditions were just right most of the eggs would hatch.
Baby turtles that were lucky enough to escape the shell that gave hem life were off to the races. I then explained to my children that is very much like their own lives..... they were lucky enough to get started, all of them have dreams, all of them have potential and all of them have to run the race.
Back to the turtles, predators (often birds) pick off a few...... some manage to get flipped upside down ending their lives..... Then I explain to the kids how that works in their lives..... Every year a few kids will face cancer or some other illiness that claims their life early.....
Others will be born with mental issues, that limits or end their lives.....
Others will not take advantage of the potential, fail to get an education.......
Some will have all the God given potential in the world, and piss it away with drugs and alcohol..... I tell all of my children that there are a millon things in life that can trip you up, you can do every single thing right, and then one stupid decision ends it all. When I young, I wanted to be a Missouri State Highway Patrolman, a friend of mine made it...... His dream job was his. Then he made a decision that claimed innocent lives.....that one mistake changed the rest of his life, sending him to prison and leaving me with guilt because I was unable to save him.
I tell my children you have to live by your principles, work hard, study, improve yourself, practice and follow your dreams.....and even then it may not be enough to achieve everything in life you want, but if you do everything the right way......chances are life will turn out ok.
Turtles that found their way o the sea are very similar to high school graduates. They feel like they have really accomplished something, but in reality they are just at the point where they are about to live their lives.....
I hope every single graduate of the class of 2026 achieves their dreams, but more than that I everyone realizes that dreams change with time, and that's ok. 15 years ago they probably wanted to be Batman...... and not a single senior this year said they wanted to be Batman...... their dreams changed and that is a good thing!
