Occasionally I manage to realize that life is good. Luckily, I have a wife and daughter who make even my worst days with narcolepsy worth every second. Today definitely was a day worth remembering. Not only did I manage to get somethings done around the house and for my teaching, but also I enjoyed wonderful moments with my wife and my daughter. More than anything, I want to learn how to cherish these moments on hold onto them for days when things are far less wonderful.
The "day" actually started last night. My wife and I had a wonderful evening together and simply got the chance to appreciate one another. When "today" officially started, I just up and didn't feel too run down from ultimate last night (although I am a tad worried about the extra "congestion" today). I then had a good morning and got some work done. My daughter and I then headed off to a movie.
We saw Mamma Mia - it is fantastic!!!!! But, even better than the movie (better than the ABBA music, even) was the fact that I was spending time with my daughter. We had a great time laughing even before the film started. We both noticed the dearth of men in the theater. I was one of perhaps five men in attendance - I think there were seventy plus people in the theater. My daughter found this hysterical. Once the movie began, she obviously enjoyed it and I found it riotously funny. Seriously, they took ABBA songs and built a story around them - what could be funnier than that!?! Amanda Seyfried and Meryl Streep are incredible, and the entire supporting cast is amazing. I LOVE that Stellan Skarsgard is in the film, and Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth completely cracked me up. I can't wait to see it again.
Still, the best moments simply involved my daughter and me. I have a tendency to laugh quite loudly, so one can imagine that I was a tad noisy. My daughter chose to periodically cover my mouth to deaden the noise. Later, she observed that it was good my sister was not there. Her aunt tends to laugh louder and harder than me, so the poor girl would have been even more embarrassed. I also love to watch the entire credits, and my daughter enjoys it too (plus, there was still ABBA music this time). As a result, I got the chance to point out to her that the entire film was dominated by women - director, producer, writer, etc. I love that she can see that since too often film remains horribly over dominated by men.
We then went to a late lunch. That was better than the movie. We got a chance to talk and share. We chatted about the movie, plans for the coming weeks, school, her friends, everything. I pray that she and I can continue to connect. I want her to find her own path in the world, but I also want her to know that I will always love her and support her. I also hope that I can model behaviors that will help her cope with life's hardships. My wife said something cool the other day. Perhaps part of the reason I have narcolepsy is to slow down enough and find balance enough that I can help my daughter learn how to cope with the curve balls of the human condition. It is an incredibly cool way to look at things, rather than my ongoing fear that I have cursed my daughter with narcolepsy (both having to live with me and passing it to her genetically). Those fears are things I can't control, but I certainly have a say in how I interact with her and deal with my struggles.
After our lunch, we wandered in a book store for a while and then headed home. She needed to get ready to go to a friend's house for an overnight. We even stopped for some ice cream on the way home. I managed to get some yard work done and then settled in to relax. She got ready and then headed off with her friend's family. My daughter is amazing and I feel blessed to have her in my life. I see so much of myself in her, good and bad, but want to see just her - not reflections of me. She has such vest for life. I pray she never loses that. I do worry that she may be narcoleptic. She definitely has some weird health things already, not the least of which is horrific sinuses. If she does wind up testing positive for narcolepsy some day, I hope that she has learned from me good ways to live with it.
The "day" actually started last night. My wife and I had a wonderful evening together and simply got the chance to appreciate one another. When "today" officially started, I just up and didn't feel too run down from ultimate last night (although I am a tad worried about the extra "congestion" today). I then had a good morning and got some work done. My daughter and I then headed off to a movie.
We saw Mamma Mia - it is fantastic!!!!! But, even better than the movie (better than the ABBA music, even) was the fact that I was spending time with my daughter. We had a great time laughing even before the film started. We both noticed the dearth of men in the theater. I was one of perhaps five men in attendance - I think there were seventy plus people in the theater. My daughter found this hysterical. Once the movie began, she obviously enjoyed it and I found it riotously funny. Seriously, they took ABBA songs and built a story around them - what could be funnier than that!?! Amanda Seyfried and Meryl Streep are incredible, and the entire supporting cast is amazing. I LOVE that Stellan Skarsgard is in the film, and Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth completely cracked me up. I can't wait to see it again.
Still, the best moments simply involved my daughter and me. I have a tendency to laugh quite loudly, so one can imagine that I was a tad noisy. My daughter chose to periodically cover my mouth to deaden the noise. Later, she observed that it was good my sister was not there. Her aunt tends to laugh louder and harder than me, so the poor girl would have been even more embarrassed. I also love to watch the entire credits, and my daughter enjoys it too (plus, there was still ABBA music this time). As a result, I got the chance to point out to her that the entire film was dominated by women - director, producer, writer, etc. I love that she can see that since too often film remains horribly over dominated by men.
We then went to a late lunch. That was better than the movie. We got a chance to talk and share. We chatted about the movie, plans for the coming weeks, school, her friends, everything. I pray that she and I can continue to connect. I want her to find her own path in the world, but I also want her to know that I will always love her and support her. I also hope that I can model behaviors that will help her cope with life's hardships. My wife said something cool the other day. Perhaps part of the reason I have narcolepsy is to slow down enough and find balance enough that I can help my daughter learn how to cope with the curve balls of the human condition. It is an incredibly cool way to look at things, rather than my ongoing fear that I have cursed my daughter with narcolepsy (both having to live with me and passing it to her genetically). Those fears are things I can't control, but I certainly have a say in how I interact with her and deal with my struggles.
After our lunch, we wandered in a book store for a while and then headed home. She needed to get ready to go to a friend's house for an overnight. We even stopped for some ice cream on the way home. I managed to get some yard work done and then settled in to relax. She got ready and then headed off with her friend's family. My daughter is amazing and I feel blessed to have her in my life. I see so much of myself in her, good and bad, but want to see just her - not reflections of me. She has such vest for life. I pray she never loses that. I do worry that she may be narcoleptic. She definitely has some weird health things already, not the least of which is horrific sinuses. If she does wind up testing positive for narcolepsy some day, I hope that she has learned from me good ways to live with it.
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