This One's For the Boys

I stumbled across a book called Guys Write For, Guys Read by Jon Sciezka. "In this exciting anthology, Eoin Colfer, Matt Groening, Daniel Handler, Brian Jacques, Walter Dean Myers, Garth Nix, and Christopher Paolini are just a few of over 80 popular male authors and artists who have set out to tackle the mysteries surrounding what it means to be a guy. Just a few of the topics included among the massive number of personal memories, silly stories, and advice, are romantic failures and triumphs, learning to live with being scrawny, and first brushes with adult dishonesty. Each piece is very short, and the collection is meant to encourage reluctant readers, most often boys, to discover and enjoy reading. With a variety of B&W illustrations, line drawings, and comics."
I was drawn to this book because of one of the writers in it: Rick Reilly. Growing up, i tried very hard to connect with my father and brother. I tried watching tv shows they liked, or books they read. The only thing i could really connect to was in the back of the sports illustrated magazine. Rick Reilly's editorial. He came up with some of the best points on today's athletic world. Anyways, i read his part in the book and thought i would share it with you. I really liked it.
(A son and father are laying ouside in the park on the grass looking up at the sky)
Son: "Why are we here?"
Father: "I've thoughta lot about it, son, and I don't think it's all that complicated. I think maybe we're here just to teach a kid how to bunt, turn two, and eat sunflower seeds without using our hands.
We're here to pound down on the steering wheel and scream as we listen to the game on the radio, 20 minutes after we've pulled into the garage.
We're here to look all over for out ball, give up and then find it in the hole.
We're here to wear our favorite Red Sox cap, torn Slippery Rock sweatshirt, and the converse we lettered in on a Saturday morning with nowhere we have to go and no one special to see.
We're here to sprint the last hundred yards and soak our shirts and be so tired we have to pee sitting down.
We're here to leave Wrigley Field at 4:15 on a perfect summer afternoon and walk straight into Murphy's with half of section 503
SOn, the thing is, no one is going to find themselves on their death bed saying, 'Dang, i wish i would have spent more time on the Higgins account'. We're going to say, 'That scar? I got that scar stealing home in the championship against Consolidated Plumbing' See, grownups spend too much time doggedly slaving towards the better car, the perfect house, the big day that will finally make THEM happy. WHen happy just walked by wearing a bicycle helmet 2 sizes too big for him. We're not here to find a way to heaven, the way is heaven. Does that answer your question?"
and the son said, "No, not really"
Father: "No?"
Son: "No what i meant is, why are we here when Mom said to pick her up 40 minutes ago?"
-RIck Reilly

yeah, that's why i like it.