Lucky Man
My son Todd turned 21 yesterday. This has nothing to do with Chico, so Indulge me for a moment while I beam with pride and joy.
Until about a week ago, it had not occurred to me how numerologically lucky it would be turn 21 yesterday. Then I read about people who had picked 7-7-07 as an auspicious time to get married. For the same reasons, you couldn't ask for a better date to be launched into a adulthood.
I've written about Todd all his life, so I couldn't let this milestone go by. I have loved him fiercely from the moment I first laid eyes on him in the early evening hours of 7-7-86.
Before he could understand what I was saying, I would tell him "Todd, you're my best boy." From the time he could talk, he would reply, "I'm your only boy."
True, he was our only boy and our only child, but I've told him many times that if he'd had siblings he would still be our best boy. That's just how it is.
The next milestone I'll probably write about is when he graduates from Chico State University. He tells me this could happen surprisingly soon — possibly in a year, or in three semesters at the most. I suppose you could say this is the Chico connection for this blog entry. I read somewhere that 5.4 years is the average time it takes a Chico State student to graduate, so Todd will beat this number by at least a year.
Twenty-one years isn't a long interval, but it was enough time enough for an infant who was no longer than my forearm to grow to be 6 feet tall. It was enough time for our best boy to become a man.