A Decade of Love

September is a fine month, one of the best of the year.

Why?

Football is back. That’s one big reason why I have a fondness for September. Beyond football’s entertainment value, I find it comforting to see and hear the sounds of pads crashing against each other, and crowds roaring, and bands playing.  I like college football because you can see the hope and dreams the student athletes and their parents have hanging on each big play. I also enjoy the professional contests, but that’s mostly because I play fantasy football. I don’t think I would enjoy the NFL as much if I didn’t play fantasy football because my Raiders suck. They’ve sucked for most of my adult life. When it looks like it’ll get better, it once again falls apart. It’s a painful annual ritual. I stick around because I’m hopeful, but I eventually shift my full attention to watching other teams that feature guys I have on my fantasy football roster.

Sports are lovely, but the real reason that dig September is because of my daughter. She was born in September and was our introduction to parenthood, our first-born buster. It’s hard to believe it happened ten years ago. Ten years!

In that time, she has turned out to be a great kid. There’s definitely some room for improvement, but that can be said about all of us. She is a bit lazy for my taste. Good kid, though. Seriously. She’s kind and funny, and she’s empathetic. I’m worried that the world is going to chew her nice attitude up and spit it out. All her mom and I can do is love her and encourage her to fill this world with love and kindness.

 I’m lucky (and proud) to be her dad.

Before she was born, I read a couple of books about parenting (the What To Expect When You’re Expecting variety), and neither one mentioned the bittersweetness of being a parent. Thus, I came into this game unprepared for the combined sense of joy and sorrow that I feel every time I pass one of these annual milestones for either one of our kiddos. Since our daughter is the oldest of our two kids, we go through all of these moments first with her, and they still shock me a bit. It’s like, “did all of this really happen so fast?” It’s also, “how did we get here?”

It's better to not seek the answers to those questions because they often reveal the same, shocking conclusion: that I have often not been present enough in all of these moments, throughout this entire decade of love. Anxiety and stress and preoccupation with worries that either worked themselves out or didn’t matter as much as I thought they would. That’s my bad, but it taught me a valuable lesson: don’t worry, be happy.

For real, though. Those are words of wisdom Mr. McFerrin.

Another month is done, and we flip the page and start again. One decade in the books, so here’s to many more, kiddo!