Legend has it that Hemingway once bet a guy in a bar that he could write
a great short story using only six words.
Somewhere between stiff shots and beer chasers, he penned this story on
a napkin.
For Sale. Baby Shoes.
Never Worn.
It’s a strong one, right? Quick
punch to the gut. Six words and you can
feel the torment of lost dreams. Sorrow
and absolute surrender. Six words and a
young family’s whole world is exposed.
An open cry of anguish.
Kids can be like this, too. Ask
them a simple question and their brief answers can show you their whole
world. The other day I’m making small
talk with a young boy. He seems to in a
particularly good mood.
“You seem happy today, Brian.”
“I am,” he answers, having a hard time containing his joy.
“What’s put you in such a good mood?”
He beams. He’s been waiting to
share.
“The restraining order against my dad will be lifted when he gets out of
prison next week. He doesn’t even know
that I play the trombone now. I’ve been practicing a lot so I can play for
him.”
“Awesome,” I say and smile. No
other words necessary. And there it
is. Brian’s whole world in just three
sentences. It’s all there. The torment.
The anguish. How impossible it can
be sometimes not to fill yourself with hope.
Over the years, I’ve seen dozens of similar scenarios end in terrible
disappointment. So as an advanced reader
of the three sentence genre, I can read between the lines a bit. I feel the frail hope he has given himself
permission to build. And somewhere
behind all of this hope, is the bone-cold reality that the odds are stacked
against him. This probably won’t end
well. In hopes of attaining a new normal
for themselves, I’ve seen years’ worth of hope and joy drain from a child with
one critical no-show.
But today, and for about another week, Brian has chosen to let hope
reign supreme. The greater the hope, the
greater and more permanent the fall. But
sometimes, against the odds, we must succumb to our greatest hopes. And for now?
For now he waits. That’s all he
can do. Or, as Hemingway, might have put
it ---
Dad gone. Boy waits, clutching trombone.
If you're enjoying the blog, here's a book I recommend. "Our Kids: Building Relationships in the Classroom," is available at Amazon.
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