Time, please slow down

Good morning, this grateful morning! :)

Last week I took Tristan to school to meet the teacher, get the class schedule and such. While approaching the middle school doors he said,

"this is weird! I feel so old being in 7th grade... the 6th graders are sooo tiny!"

I said, "Tristan! this kind of shit is going to follow you forever."

Oh yeah?

"Yeah."

In a short time you will be graduating high school and looking at all the kids thinking the same damn thing. Then if you're lucky, you'll become a parent.

From there you will see your kids start going to school. You're going to think, damn! that was fast.. then, in one untimed situation, the teachers, the ones teaching your children will suddenly be younger than you.

Now that's weird.

Then your kids are going to graduate high school, become parents, you will become a grandparent... so one and so forth.

What I am trying to say Tristan, this feeling will never stop. Embrace it buddy :)

Right now at this moment, here I sit contemplating the future while I quietly scold Father Time.

All I can think is..

Dude, please.

please slow down.

One day you're a young parent trying to make ends meet. You scrimp and save, pound your dick into the dirt providing for your family, then suddenly it's 15 years later...

In the reality of this story, it's pretty much 12 years...

and it's sad.

Avin's damn feet couldn't even touch the ground.

Time, please slow down.

To Tristan's comment a week ago... Chas and I are at that stage in life where it happens... Your kids' teachers are younger than you and in a flash, you're preparing a young adult to graduate highschool.

Shit! I can remember graduating high school! and right now.... well, I don't like this feeling.

All I can do is embrace it.

When we built our front yard, one of my wants was to have a big ass rock. We named this rock, "Dwayne the Rock Johnson"

Dwayne is likely millions of years old, the ageless asshole.. whereas our legacy sits here growing in front of us.

Strange...

Here I scribe these words of my growing family and ponder my next thought. Meanwhile, in this quiet moment, behind me, the clock is just ticking away... ticking away like some asshole eating a bag of chips, mouth open, with no regard to those around it.

.... tick, ticking away.

damnit Father Time!

As with any parent, changes are staggering.

It's incredibly wild for me to see Avin as a jock. Shit, I could have made no comment about him being one, yet, looking at the way he's dressed screams jock! Because when Avin was younger, he only ever wanted to be a fireman! This fireman interest lasted for years and years.

As many parents are surprised, kids get bit by a different interest as they age. Just as Avin was stepping into eighth grade, he got bit by the football bug and has never looked back.

I guess you're not supposed to smile when your mom is taking pictures of you and football. hahah! So for now, these two signs fill our front yard. Signs I've seen before in other people's yards. Just not ours.

Growing up is a total bitch... even if you are a parent.. cause at the end of the day, you just want them to stay little forever.

I remember that baseball game with him.. :( now, it's all football It is Avin's last year playing a sport he really cares about and asked me if I knew anyone who'd be able to help support the efforts of his team this season by purchasing one of the team's coupon cards. I told him his timing was good and that I'd be happy to pass the thought along to a buddy. These are the $20 coupon cards his team is selling. :)

Lots of deals for many different needs. We're told they work state wide and expire in a year. They even have this year's football schedule on it... and they expire on my birthday no less! haha

This is a big step for me as I've never suggested/shared such an opportunity with you like this. As it is with anything I'm involved in, there's zero pressure. :) For me, when your kid is working hard at something and asks Dad for help, how can a Dad say no :) To close on that, my handyman biz has a lot of electronic payments available, Venmo, Paypal, Cashapp or Zelle. If you're interested, I'll make sure he gets you your own card. :) As I said to my little dude Tristan (and yes, I do talk super deep to him at times... he's gud for it)... Life has no reset or pause button. Only a bottomless pit of seconds that tick by with no care to you personally. The reality of our mortality means we each only have so much and we don't know when the sand will run out. So we all should slow down a little, or a lot, lean into the moment, be present, and embrace it. :) Have a grateful weekend friend! :) -Josh & Chas... and Avin :) This is just a stupid neat picture! :)