Wisdom of Life

I don't think I have ever genuinely fit in; because in reality-- in society, it is quite hard to truly fit yourself in a category.

My parents have a twenty year age gap.. Yes, exactly twenty-three years apart. Somehow though, they had a love and connection that was undeniable. Others, however, had a hard time wrapping their minds around the fact my father had me at the ripe age of 50.

I remember lying about his age to my friends. They would often judge, tell me that he could be my grandfather, and so forth. It seemed normal to me growing up, it was just my dad and mom. Dad had a "little" gray hair on his beard and head, it didn't bother me one bit.

It was a gymnastics meet, all of my teammates parents came to help set up the gym; involving heavy mats and equipment that can be up to 800 pounds. I watched him try to help. He is short, a 5'4 Jewish man, and smaller bone structure.. All of the other teammates parents were tall, in their early 40's, lifting huge amounts of weights like it was nothing.

A former teammate of mine made a comment of how my dad was aging, and it shocked me.

You see, I had spent a lot of my life wishing I knew my father when he was younger, that I got to do sports with him and have him exercise with me, like my friends. On the contrary, I was immature and ignorant.

Because now, I have grown up just like him, an aspiring author, someone who loves the world of literature and the places you can escape to with it. I have something that no one has. I have a father who taught me about life lessons, wisdom and advice he had throughout the years of his life. My father has other children, my oldest sister and I have a 21 age gap. He was the one who taught my older siblings about sports and took them out to play outside.

I was the one who got to listen to his books, who took in his knowledge and used it with my own life at a young age. As a young adult, especially after Covid-19, entering the adult world is extremely hard. Being isolated for so long can truly create a depressive atmosphere, I couldn't see my dad often due to his age and high-risk.

It has been an adjustment, but thankfully for the vaccine, I can hug him again! I can have coffee with him during the crisp summer mornings, Bob Dylan in the distance, and the dew of the grass on my toes.

I always felt different when it came to my friends, the music I grew up listening to was usually what their grandparents listened to. It was classical music, Simon & Garfunkel, Otis Redding, and James Brown. He had extraordinary stories and photos of his childhood. My grandfather fought in WWII, my father and his family migrated to the United States and changed our last name. He grew up in Brooklyn, New York, his first job was selling newspaper to the fellow neighbors, he knew how to speak Hebrew and when I was born, he taught me as well.

So yeah.. Maybe I did not fit in with people my age, their parents now nearing the age of 50.. the age my dad was when I was born. But I have a parent who has lived through life in the most incredible way, so much divine wisdom that I can absorb at a young age. For that in and of itself, I am eternally grateful. I am proud when people ask me why I have 1949 tattooed on me, it is for him.