Like a lot of other folks I tend to spend some time during that final week of the year assessing. Perhaps its silly, but based on the posts of my co-conspirators, er, rather the friends I’ve grown up with or made along the way, I’m not the only one who uses this break in the schedule to contemplate the past year and by extension, where I am on this adventure.
It makes sense. I’m anything if not a meaning making machine, moving through life and attempting to make it mean something is really my life’s work in the broadest sense of that term. And what better time of year to sit and contemplate where I am, where I’ve been and what lays ahead.
That said, I wish there was some balance to this week in midsummer. A week when the world slows to a crawl, where everyone, by default, is expected to be unavailable as they congregate with their families and eat, drink and be merry. Concentrating all of our year in review thoughts to the shortest days of sunlight around the most emotionally charged time of the year, the holidays, may not be the perfect set up. That said, its probably healthy to imbue some bleakness into the assessment in order to account for the unavoidable bleakness that consciousness compels upon us beings whose sole unifying reality is death. That bleak enough?
Lets Occam’s Razor this task first. White/Black. Yes/No. Pass/Fail. The 30,000 foot assessment is easy sitting here at fifty, a bit more than half way through the ride. Pass. Don’t dismiss this victory too quickly. It wasn’t always certain that I’d land squarely on this side of the dividing line. At least it wasn’t always so clear to me. In fact there were years there, possibly decades when this outcome didn’t feel so easily attained. But as I sit here with a happy family, a wonderful partner and wife and a good deal of the adventure still left to discover, I’m relieved to say that I’m pretty good at this point. Could of course get hit by a bus (literally OR metaphorically) at anytime and I keep that front of mind, but from where I sit I’m fairly comfortable and excited for what is yet to come.
Now, let’s put some more fine points on the line and determine where I am and what I can bank.
I’ve become a better dad in time. Started out kinda rough. I always loved and cared for the kids, but those early days I didn’t really come through for my wife. I wasn’t horrendous and it wasn’t anything other than typical failings, but I’ve gotten better and I hope it’s helpful. Where I really failed was caring for myself. I still struggle to do it, but I’m determined.
I’m about 3 years back into exercising with some regularity. One thing that is for sure is that my body is not what it used to be. In fact, just on stats it’s about 30% more than it used to be. And no, I’m not saying I’m 8’1″. No, I’m afraid all my added size is concentrated in the middle as I grow horizontally. I had no idea that all those years spent playing basketball in my youth were wasted as my natural body type would be that of a wrestler or a large appliance mover.
My career is, knock on wood, moving right along. About 10 years ago we made a decision as a family for me to start making moves in my career with the conscious goal of getting to a place where we could get closer to financially secure. This would seem to be a natural goal of all workers I would assume, but I didn’t really make the effort prior to that. I mean, I was viable and as such I was secure, but like many new parents the world started to look very different when I started seeing it through a (thankfully) healthy new babies eyes. Having made decisions with that new imperative these past 10 years or so, we appear to be on track to retire somewhat close to the normal timeline. That said, there were some bumps on that road. I can tell you, it SUCKS being fired with young ones. That said, in hindsight it was the best thing for me and for our future.
I’m not drinking. I never thought I would be able to say that. I was quite committed to the task. Been a little over 2 years and I’m so happy I didn’t stay drunk the whole time. It was somehow depleting from every other aspect of my life while fueling and feeding my anger and annoyance. Drinking is stupid. If you can, you should stop. I still drink two beers a night, though non-alcoholic. I like to ensure I keep my calories up to stay warm in winter;)
I’m reading again. Not as much since I took on a new job in August. But I made my first Goodreads reading goal and thankfully reached it by midyear. It was only 25 books, but I should note, this would always have been a miss for me in every year of my life. I don’t know how people manage to live and hit some of the numbers I hear people spewing in their end of year book summaries. I am a HUGE advocate of reading, but when someone says they read 150 books this year I just worry about them. Maybe they’re fine, but maybe it’s a cry for help, no?
For the record, and in no particular order, these are my favorites of the year. Small Gods by Terry Pratchett, Shades of Glory by Lawrence Hogan, A Little Devil in America by Hanif Abdurraqib, Kindred by Octavia Butler, Beartown by Fredrik Backman, Babel by R.F. Kuang, House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune and The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman.
My kids are doing great and I likely won’t be writing about them in much detail anymore. At least for the time being. Honestly, when they were little what I wrote was universal and connective. Felt that way to me at least. I was writing for my tribe of fellow parents with little ones struggling to navigate the transition they throw us into that we could never have been prepared for. It was cathartic for me and largely inobtrusive for them. While I may still write tangentially about them as I talk about me, I no longer feel their lives are so intertwined with mine that I have the right to put out their lives as my own. Perhaps I was wrong to do it as long as I did. I really don’t know. What I do know is that it would be entirely wrong to share their stories now as all I have are my access to their story. My point of view on their story. But their story’s are theirs completely now and it would be intrusive and honestly destructive for me to commandeer those stories for my tales. So be it.
What I can say about the kids is they are growing up. We are heading into the teen years and they are playing their roles exactly as they should. My wife continues to have an amazing bond and provides for the emotional support I can’t always tap inside me. They, all of them, are the best thing that has or will ever happen to me. I’m so proud to be their dad and her husband. We are sometimes stumbling and often soaring. We continue to learn how to be there for each other. I love them all with all my heart.
I published a short story since last I wrote here. I did it right this time and hired a copyeditor and am really proud of the how it turned out. It’s a lovely love story of sorts, a cozy tale of sorts, a melancholic tale with some laughs and more, but I can’t say what more it is without giving away a critical reveal toward the end. It’s called ‘It all Started Down at the Stewarts’ and it I’m really proud of it. I think it’s really good. Takes about an hour to read or listen to (my brother is a professional audiobook narrator and incredibly talented) on audible. If you read it and like it a positive review would really be appreciated. Telling friends you think might like it is also incredibly helpful.
I’d like to get back into the writing game. I miss it. This is the second post I’ve written this past two weeks, but I suspect this will be the first to be published. Perhaps it will be the only one. That said, I saw Neil Gaiman talking about his process for writing novels and he said he has taken to writing longhand in notebooks for his first draft. This lets him avoid interruptions that our tech has gotten way to efficient at providing and also lets him type out the second draft which really helps in the ‘re-writing’ part of the second draft. That resonated with me so I have the notebook and pens ready. Haven’t started yet, but I am optimistic.
What else is there to say. I guess that’s a wrap on 2023 and a good read on how it looks from 50 with a couple of kids and a family. Happy New Year. I would love to hear how your annual review went in your home.
developing dad 