The Awakening of Dad...

Here I am world, I am back! After 7+ years of solely being a Stay-At-Home-Dad, the shackles of constant parental responsibility have been cast aside. My children are now BOTH in school all day long, which means 6 1/2 glorious hours absent the ubiquitous cries of "Daddy I want... ; Daddy can I have a... Daddy why do you read on the toilet?"!!! I have to admit that I was not prepared for this type of freedom, I was quite conditioned to "life on the rock". My youngest was originally scheduled to attend for just a half day, but she did so well that we decided to keep her in for a full day of school. Thus, one year ahead of schedule, the old man has some serious time to himself. Just one problem, on the second day of my liberation I entered an eerily quiet house, looked around, and thought to myself, "Jeez, what the hell do I do now?"

My wife suggested that I search back to a time when I had dreams and aspirations as a singular adult entity, and discover which of those, if any, are still valid and attainable. I think her exact words were to the effect of, "You need to get off your ass and do something. Set some goals and chase them down. You've grown fat and lazy in your domestication, both literally and figuratively, and you need to regain balance in your life." That's not completely verbatim, but the general idea is quite accurate.

So in extremely short order I put together a plan, and have spent the last 6 weeks following it. First, I had to address the 'fat' part, and this is only done through diet and exercise. To accomplish that successfully, I had to address the 'lazy' part. Post it notes with motivational quotes, unflattering pictures in the pantry, and the constant memory of my youngest brother calling me the "Stay Puft Marshmallow Man" were among the strategies used. But mostly it was just plain old desire and motivation. I have since dropped over 20 pounds, and my wife had to remind me what 'ribs' are!

Second, I have always thought of myself as creative and as having some skill with the written word. And so, I have decided to embark upon a writing career. I will blog, I will write articles for local and national magazines, I will work on the great American novel! Well, we'll see about all that. But my first steps are to write constantly, to take classes/seminars to re-sharpen and gain skills, to network with other like-minded people, and most importantly, just put in work towards my goal of becoming a published author. (And making a couple of dollars here and there is ok too!)

So look out world! I am on the loose and loaded for bear. I will keep you posted...