And Here's To You, Mrs. Robinson

     Good morning and greetings, cap, gown and tassle fans. Well, it’s June and diplomas are in the air. I’ve never looked forward to this ceremonial experience as it meant the end of the high school days for my favorite son. He is matriculating on to UC Santa Barbara, and if I weren’t unpaid for this blog, I would give up four years salary to join him in South Beach.

     His graduation from Pacific Collegiate School was last Friday, which brought to an end twelve years of his education at the site of the former Natural Bridges elementary school. Yes, time has flown by and in the words of author Harvey McKay, “Time is free, but it’s priceless. You can’t own it, but you can use it. You can’t keep it, but you can spend it. Once you’ve lost it you can never get it back.”

     So what is it about time? Does anybody really know what time it is? Does anybody really care? Does anything fly by faster with the exception of LeBron James or Russell Westbrook in the open court? I believe it was either Jerry Garcia or Spanish philosopher Blatasar Gracian that said, “All that really belongs to us is time; even he who has nothing else has that.”

     The most important thing we don’t know in life is how much time we have. Or if the home team is going to cover the spread. But it seems no matter how much time you have, it still flies by faster than a speeding bullet. The only place where it would seem that time isn’t in a hurry is in prison, or as businessman Malcom Forbes once said, “There is never enough time, unless you’re serving it.”

     Writer Robert Orben said, “Time flies. It’s up to you to be the navigator.” I remember Jason as a small child growing up in southern California. He loved playing with any kind of ball, and spent his preschool years hitting jumpers and whacking line drives down on the strand in Hermosa Beach.

     The South Bay is the birthplace of beach volleyball, and it definitely rubbed off on him, as last week he was once again named a first team, all-SCCAL selection as an outside hitter. For a hitter, it’s all about the spectacular kills. To paraphrase author Tom Robbins, “There are many things worth living for, a few things worth dying for, and the only thing worth killing happens on the volleyball court.”

     So this is a child that I started thinking about missing back when he was just 11-years-old. Just the thought of him one day leaving was not my favorite thought of the day. So I tried to savor my time with him and not to sob uncontrollably in his presence. As either Frank Sinatra or author Kay Lyons once said, “Yesterday is a canceled check; tomorrow is a promissory note; today is the only cash you have – so spend it wisely.”

     So Jason’s high school years have gone by in a blur. Fortunately, it included a host of basketball games and volleyball matches, where as a parent, I truly got to enjoy the talents of my child. I don’t get to see him acing math, science or English tests, but I’ve haven’t missed many no-look passes or jump float ace serves. I won’t say I lived semi-vicariously through him-it was totally vicarious all the way on the athletic front.

     Not too many things are greater than watching your child excel at sports or the stock market. This decade as his parent and sometimes coach has been beyond priceless. Or as Jimi Hendrix or poet Carl Sandburg once told me, “Time is the coin of your life. It is the only coin you have, and only you can determine how it will be spent. Be careful lest you let other people spend it for you.”

     Either sportscaster Jim Rome or author Jim Rohn once said, “Time is more valuable than money. You can get more money, but you cannot get more time.” My favorite inventor, Ben Franklin once remarked that “Lost time is never found again.” French composer Louis Hector Berlioz said that “Time is a great teacher, but unfortunately it kills all its pupils.” Stay thirsty, my friends.

     But my favorite sayings about time comes from author H. Jackson Brown, Jr. “Don’t say you don’t have enough time. You have exactly the same number of hours per day that were given to Helen Keller, Pasteur, Michaelangelo, Mother Teresa, Leonardo da Vinci, Thomas Jefferson, Albert Einstein and Mel Brooks.” Or in the words of Lili Von Schtupp from Blazing Saddles, “Hello, handsome, is that a 10-gallon hat or are you just enjoying the show?

     So I”ve got a few more months of at-home fun with my son, who penned his college essay about the first time he beat me playing one-on-one. Then he’ll be heading down to his oceanfront dorm with the two full court basketball courts and sand volleyball court. I’m going to miss him but to see how excited he is about the next chapter in his life makes it more than okay. After all, he’s just down the coast, not at the University of Kiev. And while he’s doing neuroscience research, I’ll be researching the new fall shows on the networks. Busy, busy, busy.

     Now the fun really starts, as I get to focus all my attention on my soon-to-be sweet 15-year-old daughter. We are going to be doing some major father-daughter bonding, which I know for her, will be a dream come true. Let the games begin.

     So in honor of my National Honor Society son heading to the Honors Program at Santa Barbara, I thought some roses would be appropriate. It’s too bad these pictures aren’t scratch and sniff, as they smell lovelier than success. But remember what author Henry David Thoreau said about these beauties. “Truths and roses have thorns about them.” That’s why I always like to thistle while I work.

     To check out these photos, click on http://www.SunriseSantaCru.com/blog