My son Alex can best be described as a card. I say this because I can never quite get a fix on what he's thinking.
Regardless of my inability to guess what's on his mind, he often says and does things that make me wonder whether there's a message or purpose behind his actions or just a need to throw a head fake; just to see if I'll wince or move in the direction he wants me to. Case in point, he recently emailed me, The Life and Times of an Aging Superhero Captured in Oil Paintings by Andreas Englund.
My first impression of the generic, aging hero depicted in the series of oil paintings was that it was comical, realistic and extremely attractive. Naturally, I also felt that sending me these paintings was his "modus operandi" which is also part of his "charm". As he often does, he chides me and calls me old and reminds me that I'm set in my ways. To a large extent, I agree with the notion that I am less young and less likely to embrace all things unfamiliar to me. I also concur that like most people, I proceed through life with a degree of caution that is in line with the degree of successes and failures that I have faced in my life.
My response to Alex about these paintings was a hearty laugh and I expressed that I absolutely loved them. Oddly enough, my feelings about these portraits did not diminish. As with most things sent to me via the internet, I would look at them once or twice and then forget they exist. In contrast, I saved this link and found myself looking at them, once or twice a week. I would examine the face of the aging hero and I soon discovered a certain dignity and serenity, as well as a sense of pride in his face. Despite these evident qualities, there was no arguing that the world around him remained a tough one. The facts remained that he was a getting older. I also couldn't help wondering if there were any regrets in his choice of wanting to make the world safer from the perils of evil. To complicate matters further, evil always seemed to be getting younger and in many ways, never going away.
Looking at these scenes, as much as I did, I couldn't help relating to them in a personal way. After all, how many times have I felt myself fighting the endless fight? There's also the constant reminder that the world is changing around me and new perils are lurking somewhere in a dark corner, ready to engage me in battle. However, pretty much like the generic hero, I acknowledge finding a certain dignity, serenity and pride every time I look into the mirror. Yes, there are a few more lines on my face than I remember and it's taking me a while longer for my body to recover but forge ahead I must. After all, this is the life I've chosen.
After this long self examination, I am left wondering if this is the message Alex was trying to convey to me.
My response to Alex about these paintings was a hearty laugh and I expressed that I absolutely loved them. Oddly enough, my feelings about these portraits did not diminish. As with most things sent to me via the internet, I would look at them once or twice and then forget they exist. In contrast, I saved this link and found myself looking at them, once or twice a week. I would examine the face of the aging hero and I soon discovered a certain dignity and serenity, as well as a sense of pride in his face. Despite these evident qualities, there was no arguing that the world around him remained a tough one. The facts remained that he was a getting older. I also couldn't help wondering if there were any regrets in his choice of wanting to make the world safer from the perils of evil. To complicate matters further, evil always seemed to be getting younger and in many ways, never going away.
After this long self examination, I am left wondering if this is the message Alex was trying to convey to me.
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