May the force retail you...

I am on a majorly positive StarWars buzz right now. I have plans to see Episode III tonight (if the better half and scheduling is willing) and I don't care what happens at this point. I'm gonna sit my fat ass down in that theater, and enjoy me some droids and Jedi mindtricks.

It should be said however that George Lucas has taken merchandising to a whole new level by putting Darth Vader in Burger King commercials and selling Dark side M&M's.

But either way, I don't care if promotional people try to screw this one up for everybody else. I sat down with my son the other day, and he told me C-3PO was his favorite. He was holding my Chewbacca action figure in his hand, and had that powerful look in his eye that a kid gets when they have an imagination. That look made me feel like a million bucks.

Because he chose to be interested in StarWars. He chose to fuel his imagination with stories from a long time ago...in a galaxy far, far away.

I remember being a kid because of this. I remember when my mother would practically lock us out of the house during the day because she wanted to do housework or have some quiet time. I remember riding my bicycle down to the corner store and striking up a conversation with anyone I chose. I remember never being afraid of anyone but the Russians and the boogieman. I remember debates among friends that could only be settled with Rock, Paper, Scissors.

I'm beginning to thing that I'll be a much better father if I can keep the memory of what it was like being a child, fresh in my mind. I want my kids to experience the kind of home my parents raised me in. We were allowed to dream. We were encouraged to be storytellers. I can tell you with a straight face, that I remember the day I jumped off a dumpster because I believed I could use the force to float.

The memory of that rock-solid faith I had in my ability to fly, is tangible. I can almost taste it because it was halted so abruptly by the quickly ascending pavement. It's like a freezeframe in my mind and for Oliver's sake, I hope I never lose it.