The Yin and Yang of Life, Kids, and Selling Out to Taylor Swift

"Dragon Learning How To Wake Surf (She Loved it)"

Aloha...... I have just returned from an incredible family filled expedition to Lake Powell. I don't want to discount the fact that the one armed John Wesley Powell navigated the mighty Colorado through Glen Canyon in a row boat; but who's kidding who?  He did not do it with his 3 kids ranging from 2-8 and 17 other members of his clan (just saying). If you have never been to Powell, imagine the Grand Canyon filled with water, and there you have it. Swimming in the thick stew of parenthood and 80 degree water for 7 days gave me a chance to observe, spend time, and bond with my kiddos as well as a gaggle of nieces and nephews.  

This brings me to my point. For the entire duration of the trip, my son was on me like K9 excrement on the bottom of one's shoe. It seemed that every time I moved, he was in tow. It was honestly like getting social herpes, and once contracted, there would be no shaking it for 7 days and 7 nights. "Daddy, Daddy, Daddy" was on constant repeat much like Chumbawamba's "I Get Knocked Down" tune circa late 90's. Don't misunderstand, I love the little spawn of Beelzebub and drink in all of the  time he and my other kiddos want to spend with me. This part of my experience would be the Yin. 

Here comes the Yang..... My oldest daughter has always been my buddy and co-conspirator. She shares my same sense of humor and has always been by my side. Naturally, over the past few years, friends and activities have pulled her away from me and I have somehow reached Steve Urkel status. Once we arrived at the lake she was fully immersed in cousin time and my status became that of the kid your parents invited over to "help" you contract Chicken Pox.  I found myself acting exactly like my needy son, basically begging for for any attention that my daughter would give me. One thing you should know about me is that I am a complete pompous music snob. Having this understanding will help explain the drastic measures of my desperation to gain the attention of my daughter. I did it, I played  and sang Taylor Swift's "Shake it off" multiple times on my guitar all with the hope of gaining acceptance (there are some things you cannot undo).

So let's tie this all up. Here is what I learned; We all experience times in our lives when someone we love dearly wants nothing more than our attention and we naturally, after being  overdosed, tend to get annoyed. The crux of this is that we end up changing places with that person we love overtime.  The moral of the story is that even though Samwise Gamgee ended up bugging the shiz out of Frodo form time to time, he was there to the end with the little furry footed guy.  So I in my quest to "Justify the F Word" and make the most of this mid life experience, I am working hard to take it all in. Because one day, everything will change, and you somehow end up playing emotional musical chairs to Taylor Swift. 

Did I mention my middle kiddo was perfect?