A New Year
Fatherhood found me. It was in the backseat of a taxi. Oh, don't be silly. It was in the backseat of a taxi, racing down the streets of Chicago and celebrating the new year, when I received the text from Rosie.
Marcos turns 4 months old tomorrow. My Christmas present from my "little" 6'5 brother was a book on Gay Fatherhood. Dad is descending into a darkness that makes me uncertain. My sister received the chancellor's scholarship to her graduate program at Berkeley (full scholarship, including the summer in Norway). Mom's been the warrior and making cents (sic) out of loafs. I'm running the research show at a hot dot com in the Valley.
It's been quite the year.
As I reflect, I can't help but embrace the serendipitous moments within life. It is written. Keep your eyes open. If luck is when preparation meets opportunity, there's a lot of luck out there for when you see the patterns pointing to an opportune moment.
There was the time when I was given a pen, and told I had 30 minutes to fight a war. And won. That moment, in a report for eBay, is crystallized in a series of unfortunate events in Campbell that led me to break the reality.
As I delivered the victory speech, there was one viewer in the room who hadn't intended to be there. It was her last day, heard about the battle, and dropped in to listen. After seeing what had been done, I would have another client.
It was a string of clients that I had begun to attract as the first employee of a booming startup. But this time, the client would present an unthinkable window of opportunity. And while I'd leave my role as the first employee to a company that I'd helped triple in size, there was a chance to do something even bigger.
The ink on my offer letter was still wet when the scale grew again. And it grew to 8 lbs and 20 inches within the next 8 months. And that was bigger than anything that offer letter provided.
A lot of people ask what it's like or how it's different now. Sometimes the words escape, other times I can somewhat articulate it. I fell in love. I fell frightened and excited. My perspective of importance changed, and it was a whole new lens in that world beyond myself.
And then there is the whirlwind of the years in between - the endless nights of adventures, where just about everyday (except Tuesdays) involved drinks, dancing, taxis, friends, and flawless client reviews. I'm not sure where that tragic whirlwind spun to, or if/when it'll be back. With all the magic in the air, I'll probably remain curled up under the covers if it comes knocking. The magic has even seeped into the bed, and a love from the past has returned, warming me up inside when he lets me warm him up outside.
I heard we don't pick the baby, the babies pick you. Tonight, L told me that she learned she had been picked. I'm so excited, it made today beyond amazing. This is going to be one very interesting chapter.
Marcos turns 4 months old tomorrow. My Christmas present from my "little" 6'5 brother was a book on Gay Fatherhood. Dad is descending into a darkness that makes me uncertain. My sister received the chancellor's scholarship to her graduate program at Berkeley (full scholarship, including the summer in Norway). Mom's been the warrior and making cents (sic) out of loafs. I'm running the research show at a hot dot com in the Valley.
It's been quite the year.
As I reflect, I can't help but embrace the serendipitous moments within life. It is written. Keep your eyes open. If luck is when preparation meets opportunity, there's a lot of luck out there for when you see the patterns pointing to an opportune moment.
There was the time when I was given a pen, and told I had 30 minutes to fight a war. And won. That moment, in a report for eBay, is crystallized in a series of unfortunate events in Campbell that led me to break the reality.
As I delivered the victory speech, there was one viewer in the room who hadn't intended to be there. It was her last day, heard about the battle, and dropped in to listen. After seeing what had been done, I would have another client.
It was a string of clients that I had begun to attract as the first employee of a booming startup. But this time, the client would present an unthinkable window of opportunity. And while I'd leave my role as the first employee to a company that I'd helped triple in size, there was a chance to do something even bigger.
The ink on my offer letter was still wet when the scale grew again. And it grew to 8 lbs and 20 inches within the next 8 months. And that was bigger than anything that offer letter provided.
A lot of people ask what it's like or how it's different now. Sometimes the words escape, other times I can somewhat articulate it. I fell in love. I fell frightened and excited. My perspective of importance changed, and it was a whole new lens in that world beyond myself.
And then there is the whirlwind of the years in between - the endless nights of adventures, where just about everyday (except Tuesdays) involved drinks, dancing, taxis, friends, and flawless client reviews. I'm not sure where that tragic whirlwind spun to, or if/when it'll be back. With all the magic in the air, I'll probably remain curled up under the covers if it comes knocking. The magic has even seeped into the bed, and a love from the past has returned, warming me up inside when he lets me warm him up outside.
I heard we don't pick the baby, the babies pick you. Tonight, L told me that she learned she had been picked. I'm so excited, it made today beyond amazing. This is going to be one very interesting chapter.