A cat that dreams of becoming a lion must
lose its appetite for rats…
We all spend part of our lives chasing
things that eventually lose their appeal. What seemed important at twenty
doesn't necessarily matter at forty, and by sixty, you begin to wonder why you
wasted time chasing stupid shit in the first place.
A lion doesn't become a lion without hard
work and instinct. He needs to change his appetite and hunting patterns. He has
to stop settling for the trivial things that keep him from becoming something
greater.
And that is the trick to growing older.
Knowing when to stop chasing rats.
Today is National Oatmeal Day.
I enjoy a hot bowl of oatmeal a couple of times a week. My ma made me a bowl on the first day of school every year, from kindergarten through my senior year at Dear Old Cathedral. From Sister Balthazar to Father Kelly...
...seventeen years of first-day jitters, Catholic girl uniforms, freshly
sharpened pencils, and a bowl of oatmeal made by someone who loved me.
The Board of Trade cafeteria made a helluva
bowl of oatmeal. Nothing hit the spot like a steaming bowl after a bitter
winter walk from the Lake Street el to the opening bell in the bond room.
Back then, I was a young lion with an
enormous appetite. I wanted to make money, make a name for myself, and make my
way in the world.
Forty years later, I still have some of
that appetite, but the menu has changed with wisdom and instinct.
This morning, before heading off to work, I
got to kiss both of my sons and tuck them in. I spoil those two magnificent
bastards, and I make absolutely no apologies for being their Oldman.
Funny how life works. You spend your younger
years trying to become a lion, only to discover that life's greatest pleasures
are as simple as a bowl of oatmeal, a mother's love, and kissing your children
goodbye before the sun comes up.
Maybe the lion's greatest accomplishment
isn't what he manages to catch. Maybe it is what he learns to cherish.
Gusto and astonishing performances today,
Chalkheads!
