F is for Fourteen

When I planned for this week, I originally thought I might do F is for Focus. Focus (with a capital F) is that name I use to describe a synergy of factors that help me be productive.

Then I looked at the calendar and realized there was a far more important thing to mention this morning. Today is my youngest child’s 14th birthday.

Being the youngest of three, you’d think I was used to this feeling of another year slipping by, watching one of our kids turning a year older. This is, after all, the third 14th birthday we’ve had. What could be different? The short answer is, it’s the last 14th birthday we will have. Our kids are well on their way to being grown-ups (ok, ok, one of them already is, and that puts grey hairs in my beard). Time, which seems to drag and ebb more than it flows at times, is suddenly accelerating past us exponentially.

The kids, of course, roll their eyes at me. Dad is overly sentimental, prone to waxing about years past. But in a year that just keeps on giving, 2020 has at least a few good days in it, and today is one of them.

And if you happen to stumble onto this page, Happy Birthday!!


A quick side note. I’m reconsidering when these posts go up – maybe first thing on a Saturday morning isn’t as reasonable as I originally thought. Coming weeks will see me shifting these posts around while I find the right time slot. I’m currently leaning towards either Sunday mornings, or first thing Monday’s (giving me the weekend to actually write something).