April 7, 2017

So, first things first. Let’s be clear about exactly who’s to blame.

Maggie, Neal, Karry, Kenny, Jennie, Kae, Mark, Terry, Theresa, Andrew, Christie, Annette, Darla, Joy, Lisa, Amy, Tammy, Michelle, Sean, Charlene, Doug, Sally, Patti, Heather, Karen, Jason, Scott, Heather, Kirstin , Karin, Leslie, Jann, Carolyn, Jake, Leilani, Anne, Jeff, Liz, Sandy, AJ, Angel, Betsy, Erin, Janis, Jerry, Robyn, Marianne, Lauren, Marian, Nate, Mike, Julie Ann, Ben, Sierra, Jim, Andy, Phil, Doug, Kathy, Cathy, and multiple Sues, Loris, Lisas, Matts, Ginas and Jasons.

All of the above kind souls took a moment from the madness of their own lives to share an encouraging word, a high-five, a  sweet thought, or just a simple acknowledgement of a connection with something I’ve written.

If you never read another word I write, please know that you all possess a power and potential to positively influence the lives of others (consider me proof). So, always be mindful of your power, and know that your wielding of it is worth finding time in your day for.

That said, I’m fairly confident that you all will eventually come to regret the road paved by your good intentions.

Now that we’re clear on who’s to blame¹, let me begin by the obligatory setting of very low expectations.

Still struggling mightily to figure out how to read the adult compass, let alone trying to pass as a parent whose answers are increasingly insufficient to the questions. All the while flailing, and sometimes failing miserably as a husband who still finds the-one-from-whom-I-steal-the-covers every bit as entrancing, indecipherable and (occasionally) scary as when I was first be-witched.

But water needs to go somewhere. And I’ve come to realize that the less time I take trying to separate the wheat from the chaff², the bigger the party my mid-life existential crisis throws when I leave the house unattended.

So, owing to your kind words and encouragements, I take great pride in taking my best shot at holding up my end of the bargain with regards to the infinite monkey theorem. And I will count on you all to help me connect the dots by sharing where your journeys may resonate.

You have no one to blame but yourselves.

Bless your hearts,

Pete

¹Again, not me.

2 Wait, weren’t we just talking about water? (apologies)