My son created this video when he was 16 and in high school. I remember sharing the video with friends, family and colleagues and laughing about what a relief it is not to see it happening live when I would most likely have
tried to prevent it from happening in the first place.

I hadn’t viewed it in while and I see that in the meantime many more folks have: over 17,000. And yet to watch it again, to see the pure joy of accomplishment on my son’s face, is to experience a thing of rare beauty. Only now do I get that IRL stands for “in real life.” There is a richness to these 48 seconds that astounds and amazes me. The editing, the second take in slow motion  with this eerily sentimental music, the brevity – all of it makes for a wonderfully compact composition.

Back then, that is how my son spent much of his time – on the computer, creating, editing, producing video – outside of school; the ongoing genius hour for which there was no time or space in school. His interests have since moved on to music production, DJing, and serious gaming. When I need a lift, this video is one place I’ll remember to come back to again and again.