I recently watched a video; technically, I rewatched a video of a guy doing magic tricks with a very young boy as his "helper". Clearly, the boy was not in on the plan and was having the time of his life. The boy was fascinated and giggling the entire time. His reactions made the entire thing. The magic was good, no doubt, but the pure joy of that child elevated the entire performance. It was infectious. It made me think about how we lose that somewhere along the way as we grow older. The belief in magic, the innocence, the joy. It all changes. I am not saying that adults do not have fun or cannot enjoy a magic show, but it is definitely different. Once you've peeked behind the curtain, so to speak, the great and powerful wizard is just a man, and the magic is illusion. I think, unfortunately, we treat everything the same way. We watch with fascination and awe, and enjoy the spectacle, but as we get older, we start asking questions. We want to know how. As we dig deeper...
To some, today is Cinco de Mayo. To some, it is just Tuesday. For me, today is super special... Better than cheese dip and margaritas. Twelve years ago today (it was a Monday) at 7:46 am (Central), I became a dad. It is a role that I never expected, and honestly, didn't think I wanted, much less needed. I was in my mid-forties and still hadn't grown up, so the thought of being responsible for another human, a tiny living, breathing, helpless being, was terrifying... For everyone. But here's the thing: after the initial shock wore off, which was surprisingly brief, I was excited. Terrified, yes, but genuinely excited. At that point in my life, I was excited about a lot. I was in love. I was happy. And now, I was going to be a father... no... a dad. I had a father. I swore I would do better. I remember everyone joking about me changing diapers and all the worst parts of parenting a baby, but none of that scared me. What truly scared the crap out of me was failing. Not be...