As I said in my last post, I needed to take a few weeks off to handle some things at work before I started back up with the posting. As it turns out, in order to catch up at work, I actually needed to take a few years off to handle things. Since that isn't going to cut it, here I am...and I bringing pictures from our snow a few weeks ago with me...
Amelia beginning to make a snowman....
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.
For the first time since the pandemic began, the four of us braved dining inside a restaurant for Meggan's birthday. It felt great to be back "around" other people. The kids were clearly rusty at things like ordering, cloth napkins, free refills, etc. Luckily, they were able to get it all sorted out by the time dessert came.
When the chain pops off your kid's bike, you have two choices as a parent... fix it for them so you can be their hero.... or teach them how to fix it so they can be someone else's hero one day. I chose the second option. This falls in line with what I tell Amelia all the time (although I'm probably not supposed to say in 2021) - Learn the things that make you never NEED a "man". That way, you can only have them around when you WANT to.
Everett: I don't like reading. It's boring.
Also Everett: Let me show you all the books I've read recently and tell you one at a time what each one is about in an insane amount of detail even though we've already been in the bookstore for an hour.
Life has been crazy around here in both good and not so good ways. My sister visited with us all of last week - very good. Both dogs decided to have vet emergencies just in case I was looking for a fun way to spend $1,000 - not so good. Various family members received various vaccines - Good. I had one of those weeks at the office where you can't get actual work done because you're in 100 meetings to talk about why the work isn't done yet - not so good. It's on these weeks that I decide I am no longer going to post on here. I love it, but I just can't scratch the time out of my day to do it with any consistency. So, rather than let the readers dwindle away from boredom or apathy, I should just walk away. Then, Halloween rolls around and I get a picture of this adorable little guy and I know I'll want to look back on it in 5 years.... so, here I am...and I'll probably be here long after I'm the only one who still reads it...where else can I go to find the World's most handsome Mario??
