The Expected June 19th Post

Well, here we are. It's June 19th, so it falls to me to post. I suppose it's expected of me to commemorate this day, so here goes.

Happy Feast Day of St. Hildegrin!

Wait, what? Not what you were expecting? Okay... well then, how about...

Happy World Sauntering Day! You could walk wherever you go today, but think how much more fun you could be having if you were sauntering.

I'm sorry? It's amazing how loud the imaginary shouts of my audience are in my head right now.

Alright, alright. Happy Father's Day!

This day is traditionally about celebrating your own father, and to that end, I'd like to wish my Dad a Happy Father's Day. I'd be remiss if I didn't point out that my own ideas about being a father are heavily influenced by my Dad, as it should be. Thankfully, he provided a positive influence, so I feel pretty lucky in that regard.

One specific memory of my Dad spring to mind when I think about being a good father. Dad had a Harry Chapin greatest hits double disc set (this one, I think), and as was typical in our house (and most homes, I'd wager), we listened to what Mom or Dad wanted to listen to. (Side note: I'd be willing to bet that I know more songs by '70's folk rock musicians than the average dude born in 1980. Jim Croce, James Taylor, Jackson Brown, and other people who weren't guys whose names start with 'J' were all in solid rotation.)

The song I remember most off that album is "Cat's in the Cradle. This song -- as you may know, since it was Chapin's biggest hit -- is about a dad who never had time for his son, and by song's end finds that his son doesn't have the time for him. Dad would occasionally get emotional when this song played, and he told me numerous times that when he became a father, he thought about this song, and how he never wanted to be in the position of the singer. He would always have time for his kids. And Dad did. He always listened. He always played catch. He always made time for us (my brothers, too) to do things together. Just in case he doesn't hear it enough: Thanks, Dad.

As to my own Father's Day, it's been pretty good so far. The first thing LG got me was a solid night's sleep (three days in a row! Keep it up, little girl!) It just got better from there. She made a water paint coloring page of Gambit from the X-Men, which I'm told started out with a paint brush, but quickly turned into a game of "make your hands wet, then crumple the paper."

Then she gave me an awesome, original masterpiece that looked like it was a heck of a lot of fun to make. It reminds me of another Harry Chapin song, "Flowers are Red," which is about a little boy who likes to paint flowers using every color of the rainbow. I was always a "color inside the lines as neatly as you can" kind of kid, but I see no reason why my daughter should do the same. Her way is more fun.

The finished product:
Hollie got me a gift that should be as much fun for LG as it will be for me. The Art of Roughhousing: Good Old-Fashioned Horseplay and Why Every Kid Needs It. I look forward to tossing my offspring through the air onto a nearby mattress, as noted by a surprising number of illustrations. Should be springy, but not too springy. I don't want her to bounce too far.

Lastly, Hollie took my first six months of blogging (pre-baby) and had it bound into a book. It's awesome, and does a great job of showing how my mental state has changed since I started this little project. Of note, I took just as many long breaks between posts before LG was born as I do now, so I can't blame the baby for my lack of time.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I've whiled away LG's entire naptime, and then some, writing this post. It's my day, and I've got some daddying to do.