17

In honor of my beloved-but-misguided stepson turning 17 today, I thought it fitting to dig out an old post from my old blog. It was a vision that came to me around Christmas time when we were arguing with him about getting a job (he still hasn't) and his birth mother dropped $300 cash in his lap to show how much she "cares." Cuz really, not a lot has changed and it's still just as funny.

What starts as an undercover "horticultural" operation in his dorm room closet will unleash a previously-undiscovered passion for farming and he will move to the mountains where he will grow his own food and live off the grid in an underground cabin. When the peace and quiet becomes overwhelming, he will teach himself to play guitar. On a whim, he'll roll into town one day for open mic night at the local bar, where he will debut his original tune, "You Can't Buy My Love for $300," the heart-wrenching tale of his relationship with his mother, which will instantaneously catapult him into stardom because, well, we all know girls dig tortured souls.

So you see, maybe he's right. Maybe he doesn't need to learn to hold a job or manage money...his future as an organic farming singer/songwriter is virtually dangling in front of him - all he has to do is reach out and grab it.

Happy birthday to the kid who I still believe can do anything he puts his mind to.