There are a few certainties in life. The sun will always rise in the East and set in the West. Things will always get better before they get worse and last but certainly not least, life always finds a way (Thanks, Jeff Goldblum!). Although life rarely cares about one’s plans, it throws a little ray of sunshine once in a while. My particular ray of sunshine came eight years ago when what I had previously thought to be impossible happened; I fathered a child. As a Type-1 Diabetic, there was statistically a one in three chance that I would be completely sterile as a result of Diabetic complications. Imagine our surprise when my wife and I discovered we were pregnant.
All things considered, I had my first sone a few years later than I would have otherwise chosen. A bit on the older side, sometimes keeping up with my kids can be a bit daunting. But the miracle of having had them overshadows all of that. The photo above shows Nathan and I, watching our first movie together only days after his birth. I couldn’t possibly imagine the future that this little lump of my DNA would bring. And here we are, eight years later, and that future path is still laying itself out before me.
It’s amazing how big he’s gotten and how far he’s come. And yes, that’s a significant amount of grey in my beard; I’m well aware. Nathan’s birthday was last Saturday. as is our typical tradition on that day, we had a “yes-day,” where we allowed him to choose his own cake, pick his own activities for the day and what we would be eating for dinner that night. Of all things, he chose a Christmas-themed cake for his birthday. His grandmother came to our house for the weekend, which was a fun addition. We started our day by sleeping in a bit, followed by breakfast hash and maple bacon.
Nathan opted for a couple of hours at an indoor trampoline gym called Get Air, which was closed due to occupancy issues. So, I took him to Klimerz, an indoor play structure that he usually loves. Not only did he play there for a couple of hours (before unfortunately having a little “boy accident”), he also made a connection with a young girl his own age. It was cute, watching him hold hands and run around the play structure with this young girl. It showed me that no matter what I do, the passage of time is yet another certainty in life. There’s nothing stopping him from growing up.
When we left Klimerz, I brought him home to tidy up and then we went to McDonald’s fr a light lunch and some playtime in their indoor play structure. Supper was chicken caesar pizza with stuffed crust, which is his favourite. After some pizza combined with some cake imbued with an over-abundance of red dye, he surrendered to the basement to play with the new gifts he had received as a result of his aging one more year. All in all, it was a good day to be an eight year old.
If someone had told me I would be a father, ten years ago, I likely would have laughed in their face. And yet, here we are… I have an eight year old son. I also have a three year old toddler but his journey is a different story. Sometimes life throws us on a path that we never would have expected. It certainly did, when it introduced this little bastard into my life. He adds excitement. That much is a guarantee. He had a great birthday, despite everything happening in the world. It’s important to forge our own path. Food for thought… ☯️
The Blogging Buddhist 