T'was a Dark and Stormy Night (:^) )

Senior: “You’ve got to put your anchor in deep, because fierce storms can pull it out.”

Junior: “Oh, don’t worry so. It’s a perfectly balmy day and has been like this for the last two months. Just look at those gorgeous fish! They are so colorful; far better than a three D video.” He tugged at his already shallow anchor in order to get a better view.

Senior went on his merry way convinced he had done his duty. Fishing had been unusually good lately, and he was eager to get out there on the Sea of Life and haul in as much as he could.

Meanwhile Junior’s little boat darted this way and that, eager to sail into as many interesting and enjoyable harbors as he could get away with. Life was good, real good, and, as he liked to remind his elders, he was young only once. As far as the eye could see the sea was as smooth as shining glass. Surely there were no lurking dangers such as the Oldie Goldie’s always warned about.

            So they each continued on their merry way. Sure, there were a few white caps that they bounced over, and sometimes a wind swept them off course, but life was great, yeah, life was great, and they had too much to do, to worry overly much about a little old anchor. Hey, it was anchored to the rock, the Solid Rock, so that was good enough, wasn’t it?

            In their hustling and bustling around, the old chains attached to their separate anchors got mighty stretched, and yeah, you bet, they decided to link more chain on to extend it even further. Why be so restrained by the Rock? Life was good, really good just the way it was and there was so much to do…

            Senior didn’t find so much time for his wife and kid any more, but they seemed to be getting on fine, just fine, each doing their own thing. The Mrs. had been sailing into foreign harbors quite a lot lately and coming home with some pretty unusual ideas, but nothing too outlandish, or so he thought, and life was good, real good, and there was nothing to worry about.  

            Well, I suppose you are just waiting for a storm to come and knock them all about, and I’m afraid you got it right. Autumn gales ripped in, and Senior and the Mrs. somehow or ‘nother crashed into each other not once but repeatedly.  Sure, they apologized and helped to patch up each other’s damages, but it was the beginning of a long and restless fall. After a while there was an uneasy peace between them, but Junior didn’t care so very much for the home atmosphere any more.

 Sometimes it seemed like they were keeping him on a rather short rope, but at other times well, they didn’t pay much attention to him anymore, ‘cept when they got to banging in to each other and he happened to get in between. Not good. Not good a ’tall.

            “It was a dark and stormy night” and Junior was glowering at his folks tossing next to each other at the dock but not speaking to each other very civilly.

            “I’m fed up with this atmosphere.” He grumbled to himself. “Sure they say never, never go out at night, but I have a good light and I’ll be sailing away from the troubles, not towards them. Quick as a flash he suited action to muttered words and untied himself from the dock and ….wow…the ride was thrilling! This is nothing like the petty pleasures found in the day light hours!

The ole Ma and Pa Vessels, well, they were too concerned about their own troubles to pay much attention to their rebellious little sailboat in his spanking new coat of red. Their own decor was getting scuffed from the wear and tear of life and Mrs. visited all manner of enrichment classes to improve her appearance both inwardly and outwardly. Senior was finding competition getting rather steep in his own fields of interest requiring an increasing amount of his time and attention.

            The currents of Life moved swiftly along, and they hardly thought any more about their trusty old anchors clinging to the Solid Rock. Clinging? Did I say clinging? Nay, those poor anchors were gradually losing their ability to connect with the Rock, so gradually the boat family hardly even noticed, and when the Last Great Storm came they were swept into a harbor where they had Never Intended to Go.