They say when one thing ends, another begins. In this case, when one thing ends, it starts back up again. Over the break for New Year's, I decided it was time to end this blog. There are multiple reasons I started to feel this way. First, this is only called a blog for ease of reference. It was never meant to attract followers, influence culture, or teach lessons. It was simply meant to be a space where I could share the exploits of my children, the growing pains of being a dad, and allow those close to us to be a part of the kids' lives (and vice versa) even though we live apart. Secondly, the irony of the situation is in order to have the kind of relationship I want with my kids, it takes away a lot of the discretionary time I have to actually write posts about that relationship. Lastly, content is scarce. I'm 13 years into this thing. That's roughly 450 blog years old. I'm approaching my 3,000th post. My daughter, who not coincidentally is also nearly 13, no longer thinks it's cute to put up pictures and videos of her. My son, who wasn't even a remote thought when this started, is now in double digits. That's 23 combined years of kids I've talked about. I could only imagine how boring it has gotten for all of you....or at least that's what I thought. However, when I started telling people I was shutting it down, I learned something from their reactions - the folks who regularly read the blog, actually really enjoy it. They don't read it out of obligation. They aren't bored with hearing about the kids. They don't want it to end. Now, don't be mistaken, I completely understand this has nothing to do with me or my commentary. This has everything to do with the lens it gives them to watch my children grow. It makes them feel pride when they read Amelia got straight A's. Seeing Everett doing a silly dance takes their minds off the troubles of the day. Looking at a picture of Olive and Lucy snuggling on the couch reminds them there are pockets of pure love and joy in this world. The post isn't about the words on the screen. The post is about the shared experiences created. I almost stopped blogging because I began viewing it as a chore. I've decided to start back up because now I realize it is a privilege.
I'm likely not going to suddenly begin posting daily again. I am going to take a couple more weeks off to deal with a few things at my day job and then I will start back with a few posts per week. For now, I'll leave you with this handsome devil who just turned the big 1-0.
