It's Easy to Get Distracted When Life is This Good...and It Is This Good

Zoey being big sister in Brooklyn...Maggie doing a very respectable little sister impression.

How does one slip off to New York City, and be the blogging type, and then not write a single thing...not post a single photo...not relate any of the happenings to any of the lovely people who so regularly stop and visit us here?

Well, because it's awfully easy to get distracted when life is good, and it is. And, I decided that I needed a break. It's been five years of continuous blogging, and that's just ridiculous.  That's right, five years.  A guy can get plenty tired in five years.

Here's what I learned after taking a few weeks, okay, more than a few weeks, off.

I love this place.  I love the connection it gives me to a faceless, nameless world of people just like me.  I love the intimacy it gives me with people I've known most of my life but just never got around to loving as much as I should have.  I love that it serves as a venue for all of my hopes and dreams and sappy little everythings. I love how much it bothers people when I disappear and don't type.  I love how  much better of a father it makes me.  I love that someday my daughters will be able to read this and know exactly who there dad was as they were growing.  I love the giant chasm of expression that it filled five years ago.

I need to be more focused on satisfying myself rather than satisfying others, and that starts with chasing dreams, and following through with ideas, and living out loud, not behind any kind of curtains or protective shell.  That means being vulnerable for all of the right reasons, not just fear.

I've got a near perfect life.

I'm nowhere near being the guy that I think that I am, and in this particular case, I should probably start listening to what everyone else says about who I am.  It's a way better version.

You make your own happiness.  No one owes you anything, and the universe isn't with or against you. If you want to be happy, go find a way to be happy.

As we grow up we forget about the things that define us the most, that we innately found connection with when we were young, and that we probably no longer do.  Forget about how old you are for a minute and go back to what made you happy when you were fourteen.

My daughters are becoming who they will eventually be in large part by stealing pieces of their parents...so do you want your kids to be the best parts, or the worst? I want them to be fantastic.

The best people...I mean THE best people...let you know what you mean to them.

Things mostly just tend to work out as they should.

Take care of yourself.  No one else is going to.

Indulge yourself in positive things...be selfish if it means being happy...invest in yourself.  The fastest way to lose yourself and years is to give them away.

Kissing is the best thing ever.

Sleep when you're tired.

Look up every once in awhile because it can be a long time between stargazing sessions, and they're just too awesome to forget about.

I don't like gardening.

Whatever culture you choose to live in is defined by the very people living in it, so if your values don't match those around you, it's no surprise that you're not enjoying the culture you're swimming in.  Find people who think the same way as you.

It all starts with people and conflict...that's the story of our lives...ALL of our lives.

Music can save your life.

Inhabit your feelings.  Don't dismiss them.

Create something that you can be proud of and you'll be surprised what that does to you. You'll be even more surprised what it does to others.

Look for those photos that you can take of your children that will someday be the ones that will make your heart swell.  Don't leave the camera at home, ever. Someday it could be all you have.