Father's Day 2008

I have run two 5ks in the last week. That's 10k.

That is not 10,000 miles.

I've traveled 10,000 miles over the past 10 years, all in the space of a front porch, the length of a family sofa, the distance from home to school. My traveling companions: a wife, four children who look like me, others who don't. Friends. Good Friends. Very good friends. Family.

There have been good times and bad. I've alternately felt like a wise old sage and a failure, a leader or a child myself. I am the most fortunate man alive.

There are days when I sing for my kids, when I put on funny hats to make them laugh, and times when I need some time away from their voices. I tell myself this is normal and hope I'm not mistaken.

It's a difficult thing, to not focus on mistakes made, both real and perceived, to not hone in on the tension. To wonder if you're doing more harm than good with the disciplining, the food, the television and teaching. There is too much good in all of this, though. These are good kids, a great family.

I am the luckiest of fathers today.