ESSAY
Turning thirteen…
by
Richard Shaw
As I sit here thinking about moving from twelve to thirteen, I recall the day. I was sitting in a chair in my parents' living room. I kept thinking that I was at a turning point or at least somewhere between two points in my life. Part of me wanted still to play with my toys that had given me so many hours of enjoyment. Another part of me felt like it was time to give those up and move into a new world. The new world, that of a man, had many unknowns. It was exciting and a little scary at the same time. Being thirteen for me felt like I was in transition from a child to a man.
I learned many things from my father. Probably the most important that I learned from my father about being a man was strength coupled with compassion. Being a man means being strong, but more than physical, it means being strong enough to let others lean on you when they need to. Strong enough to make your own decisions when those around you want to go in a different direction. It also means to be strong enough to give up your needs to support the needs of others.
Being a man means learning about who you are, understanding your vision for your life. This vision will take a lifetime to develop and will change over time.
Life is a journey, as such, it means that it will have many twists and turns. Some will bring great pleasure, others will bring pain. Again, it is our strength that allows us to pick ourselves back up and continue our journey.
As part of this earthly journey, we keep asking ourselves — Who am I? What are my beliefs? What is my vision?
Being a man is complicated. It takes a lifetime to come to understand what it means to be a man. At thirteen the journey begins. Some days you will want to retreat into childhood, other days you will soar into the man's world.
Being a man means never forgetting that child that lives in all of us. Taking time to play and have fun with those around us. Balancing the world of work and play is part of being a man.
Copyright by Richard Shaw
Backgrounds by Marie