It was a holiday weekend and I had Friday off from work. The
zoo kicked things off and the beach wrapped it up. In between came a long day
in the pool leading into a night spent watching the summer sky become splatter-painted
as we celebrated our nation’s birthday. I’m tired. And busy. And often lately I’ve
been tired of feeling so busy.
Zero score and four years ago on Independence Day 2011, I
sat down at my laptop and started typing. I only had one son and he loved naps,
just as I did the simultaneous several free hours they afforded me every
afternoon. I miss those days. Life is different now. Mrs. Dude and I are the
proud owners of two sweet and occasionally sour sons who, as of just a few weeks ago,
combine to take zero naps on a daily basis. My older son ditched his afternoon
delight shortly before his brother was born and in a couple short months, the younger
and Littler Dude will turn 3.
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A few hours after my first post, July 4, 2011 |
The calendar seems to turn faster every day, week and month
and my two babies have become boys. I miss the babies, but enjoy being able to
have a two-way conversation now and again. They both sleep about 11 or 12 hours
per night, which seem to go much quicker than the other half-day which often moves
s-l-o-w-l-y, even when filled with amazingly fun activities. Also, especially
when dinner is about an hour away and 60 minutes feels like 600 thanks to the
constant snack requests Mrs. Dude and I field.
We’ve been fortunate to have some incredible experiences as
a result of this little blog. Many I’ve shared and countless more I’ve wanted
to write about but haven’t quite had the time to finish. I frequently think of
the tired movie trope of the wannabe writer longing to publish “The Great
American Novel”, but settling for being a teacher, actor or whatever, and I
find it oddly parallel to my blogging own writing situation. I wish I published
more, I really do, but those afternoon hours my boys once filled with sleep (and
I with writing), they now want to use for playing, swimming and silliness
which, like naps, are finite activities with a likely expiration date of about
10 years when they become tweens and teens who will want nothing to do with me.
So I brainstorm ideas in the shower, when I have no ability
to type and the Great American Blog Post once again eludes me. I have a folder
filled with dozens of drafts I haven’t finished, or whose timeliness has
passed, and wonder if I’ll ever make the time to post them all. There is funny
stuff, sad stuff and random ideas which could go either way. I want to push
them out. I need to push them out. The thoughts in my head need to be released,
but I have to make the time. And I will. Just after we finish putting this
puzzle together, then making dinner, bath and bedtime, laundry, dishes
and those precious few ZZZZ’s I so long for.
For better or worse I’m still here four years later, which was inconceivable to me on July 4, 2011, when this all began with a very sleep boy and some random silly thoughts. Please stay tuned for there IS more to come, and thanks for sticking with me through it all. Your eyes on my words mean more than you know.
For better or worse I’m still here four years later, which was inconceivable to me on July 4, 2011, when this all began with a very sleep boy and some random silly thoughts. Please stay tuned for there IS more to come, and thanks for sticking with me through it all. Your eyes on my words mean more than you know.

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