On the day I grew up I walked into the cabin living
room
It had glossed over wooden walls,
On the ground lay an old polar bear skin
with the head fully intact,
and the open mouth bearing sharp teeth
The wooden table and chairs looked faded and seemed
to absorb the dust
While ancient mismatched seats huddled together
around the fire place.
A short comfortable faded orange one and a tall
elegant stiff one
While the couch, parallel with the fireplace; gazed
dreamily into the fire.
Dead flies sat at the bottom of saran wrapped windows
covered in frost.
The fire warmed the entire room and made shadows
dance on the walls.
Cobwebs crawled into the corners lurking.
A smell of old wood and burning pine swallowed the
room.
The setting was surprisingly warm, homey, as well as
warn and used.
On the orange chair sat a tall thin man with a scruffy
beard, there were gray streaks in his blonde hair, and
he had a face that wrinkled when he smiled
On the tall chair rested a short, stout fellow,
Whose blue eyes seemed to take over his face,
Eyes that were wise,
Respectful and beamed happiness.
On the couch was my father,
who crouched in his two jackets and a sweater to keep
warm.
He had black hair that was greying sides of his head.
He had deep brown intent eyes.
With a worn, but lively face.
A face that could show a terrifying rage, as well as a
whole hearted, loving comfort.
The men were discussing our effect in the world,
Using theories and Google to back each statement up.
I slowly, and silently ambled in and perched next to the
fire as not to disturb them.
After a few minutes of me idly paying attention to what
they were saying,
My Father asked, “What do you think?”
A terrifying question that made me feel like a deer in
the headlights.
But I answered, stating that there were two main ways
to think about it.
One the world was vast and because I was so small
I wouldn’t be able to change it in any way.
Two that because I affected the people around me
Even by a hello and a slight smile, when walking by.
The people who I effected, effected others, and those
people affected more people,
to the point where every person in the world was
changed by the simple action of a greeting.
I went on to go into more explanations and facts.
Assuming they would give me the short, indirect
answer with that over enthusiastic tone, that all adults
give kids when they don’t care.
But for the first time that didn’t happen.
My fathers friends in the chairs, stared wide eyed at me
genuinely amazed at such an answer.
They questioned me about how I came to that
conclusion, and went on in the conversation including
me, and questioning me in every part of it.
For the first time I felt as if I had some important and
worthwhile information.
Like a secret in my own head.
I understood how to have a conversation.
How to listen, be heard.
Have an interesting and intelligent viewpoint worth
arguing.
The world had stopped just to enjoy my moment of
maturity.
I got a glimpse of a rare understanding on how adults
feel all the time.
This gave me a new outlook, a paradigm shift on a new,
World.