When I was a teenager, we had an old cast-iron wheeled lawn mower with blades as dull as butter knives. It didn't really mow the lawn... it just temporarily bent the blades of grass. If I'd had a rear view mirror on the handle, I could have seen the blades of grass springing up unscathed, behind me... if they'd had noses, they would have been thumbing them at me. I'd try to outsmart them by doubling back before they had a chance to collect their wits and catch them on the rebound, with minimal success. I remember one day when my Dad came home and yelled at me.. "I thought I told you to mow the lawn!" I answered.. "I did, Dad. I mowed it twice, and you can't even tell the difference!" "When are you going to buy a new lawnmower?" Of course, my Dad insisted that there was nothing wrong with the lawn mower, and we had that lawnmower until he died at 92.

Today, I was out mowing my own lawn. When we bought our house two years ago, I bought a brand new, Sears push mower... not a gas mower... just the lawnmower like I'd dreamed of having when I was a teenager. What I've come to realize is that my grass is as smart as my Father's was. It too feigns death as the lawnmower approaches, only to spring back, fat and sassy after I pass. So, I ended up mowing the lawn twice today, and it still doesn't look good. And then the thought occurred to me.. "Here I am, fifty years later and I'm doing the same damn thing my Father was!" And then it hit me. Maybe I'm becoming my Father! AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH!

Don't get me wrong... there were things about my Father that I admired, and emulate now. But when I think of all the stuff he used to do that drove me absolutely nuts, the thought of subconsciously becoming more like him was sobering. I had to come in and have a tall glass of ice cold water.

So, I wonder... as you get older, do you find yourself becoming more and more like your Father (or Mother?) This isn't a Father/son, Mother/daughter thing. In many ways, I've become more like my Mother.
She has endless curiosity and is still enthusiastic about trying new things, even at 96. Her whole philosophy of life, and her spirituality are qualities I treasure.

We're not talking all negatives here... like me, I'm sure that you see positive qualities in one of your parents that you are trying to emulate.

But, I've seen the error of my ways. Next Spring, I'm buying a power mower.

Jerry