On being a Dad

So I’m a little under the weather this weekend.
So is Ethan.

We’re both just drained and sickly.
Poor Ethan has expelled enough snot to fill his skull twice over.

But even in times of sickness sometimes there’s a moment of Zen.

This morning Ethan crawled up on the couch I was laying on and laid down with me.
We laid there watching cartoons. Just Ethan and Daddy.
It was the coolest thing ever.

Suddenly I felt much better and hoped he would stay there all morning.
He didn’t of course.
He’s not really himself unless he’s climbing something that he shouldn’t be climbing.
But for a while it was a perfect moment.

It reminds me of a memory I have of my Dad.
I was older than Ethan but it’s one of the earlier memories that has stuck with me.

Dad came home from teaching and I crawled up in his chair and we sat there watching looney tunes.
I still remember he was wearing a blue shirt with goldish paisleys on it. For some reason that was my favorite shirt of his.
I can still smell the Old Spice after shave.
And then I asked him what his favorite cartoon was.

The Road Runner.

Wow my Dad liked cartoons!
I had a new respect for the Road Runner from that point on.

That too was a moment of zen.



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