Vicarious Rocky

I don't think anyone hopes their kid will be of average intelligence, but I have to say that Holly has been struggling with her laurels, and it reminds me that I have no such problem because nothing ever came easy for me. Holly, ranked 2 and probably was edged out for 1 in her high school class. In other words, she has always been naturally bright. Things come easy. And when things don't, she hates it and begins to question her genius. Her intelligence has thrown her into a larger life pond, with more toothy large fish, which is not ego-boosting territory. I feel for her, and then I feel smug.

I clawed my way up to #16 rank in my high school and only managed that because I never took calculus (number 17 angrily pointed that out to me). Now I continue on in my upper-mid percentile pursuits -- my aquarium is nice and small, I ate my way up to a reasonable size, and now I glide happily along in clear warm waters. Some might swap out the word "warm" for "tepid." But screw them. I have to say, as an existentialist, I'm pleased as punch with where I've ended up. However, my ambitions for Indy may betray my true feelings because I do want something more for my kid. Perhaps that uniform purpose Sage discusses Here. But if Indy ends up running our business in Ohio with a sweet little kid and a nice wife, I'll know how it happened.