Passions

I’m not writing her much because new encounters keep turning into possible entry points for short essays. I went to breakfast with Max on Sunday. He and his girlfriend have moved into the twins’ condo, while the twins are staying with their mom.

The twins love it. I still don’t agree with it. A time frame of six months to a year has been kicked around.

Max still hasn’t found a job. He’s being selective… again. But his girlfriend started a new one today — a good one. She’s making a decent salary. Together — and that’s the right word in this case — they’ll do alright.

In the meantime, Max has been doing a side hustle he’s passionate about. For several years now, he’s been painting Warhammer figures. They’re tiny, and he gets incredibly detailed with them. He sells them online for a good profit. Warhammer is a big game, and many players build vast collections.

I’m glad he has a passion like that. It reminds me of where I am with writing right now. It gives us common ground — something we can actually share. I understand how he feels.

I think he wants to make it his full-time job. I encourage him to pursue it, but I also suggest he explore every avenue for revenue adjacent to painting: buying and selling, commissions, content on YouTube or TikTok, anything that widens the lane.

My responsibilities derailed my own dreams of being a writer when I was his age. I had a wife and kids to support.

But there’s another side of Max I don’t encourage. In fact, I openly push back against it — the stories about scamming Amazon by claiming packages were broken when they weren’t. The way he justifies it is concerning.

Max can be incredibly motivated when he’s passionate about something. He’s smart and analytical. I see reflections of myself in him — but definitely not all of me.

I’m not saying he should be like me. We all want better for our kids. If I could have passed anything on to him, it would be creativity and the drive to pursue what he loves.

He is still Max. He is still my son. He seems to accept my flaws as well. Another thing we have in common.