The good news is that I have lost some weight. While I admit it should be a ton more, I am definitely alright with any weight loss at this point. I am down to 243, which puts me 5 pounds from my all-time low (weighted against my all-time high of course). I just can’t beat myself up anymore for being on this journey and making miniscule strides with multiple setbacks (damn you football season and chicken wings!). So, even if it took me 2 years to realize this, I am right where I need to be. There is no need to make grandiose promises to my audience, fans, and sponsors (Converse). I just have to keep working at it and if I am made to make it happen, so it will be.
This past weekend we celebrated Henry’s first year on this planet and we marked the occasion with the cake he smeared all over his gorgeous little face (see above). This year has been the hardest, most frustrating, yet most rewarding year of my life. I grew as a father, husband, and most importantly a person. When I look at my wife now, more in love than ever before, I have to remind myself that we were once foot loose and fancy free. While I miss eating dinner at nice restaurants and playing tennis at the Village 3 nights a week, I am totally ok with being at home, curling up on the couch for 45 minutes before we go to bed, and watching the previous night’s Daily Show. Seriously, we seldom make it to 9pm anymore and that is totally fine with the both of us.
Last night or I should say yesterday at work, I finally did something I should have done 15 years ago, which was Google the tab to “Web in Front” by Archers of Loaf. Anyone who knows me well, knows that this was a song (introduced to me by Joe Harper) that I played over and over again in high school and college (along with Blink, Taking Back Sunday, Brand New, Hayden, etc) but I never learned how to play it on guitar (and Joe would say my drumming of it was very suspect). I played it yesterday. After baths we got everyone into the play room and I played it and sung my heart out to my kiddos. Chloe was somewhat interested but went back to her Princess book, Kohen wanted to hit the guitar with a plastic golf club which I interpreted as us jamming, and Henry just rocked out with his new head bob (to be fair though he does this when he hears any form of music).
Right now our kids are young and don’t know any better, but I imagine we seem pretty interesting and fun to them. I know this won’t last long but “All I ever wanted was to be your spine”.