“He’s newly married without any kids. He still can be awesome.”
A buddy with four young kids said this to me the other day. It wasn’t said in a bitter way, but laughing. After saying this there was a bit of a pause in our conversation as we imagined (or at least I did) how much we would get done – how awesome we’d be – if we didn’t have kids.
When I get up early to work (I’m writing this at 6AM) there would be no chance an early riser would demand breakfast. (+4 hours/week).
Instead of a two-hour “bed time” routine followed by an hour of exhaustion, my bed-time routine would consist of a 15-minute shower. (+14 hours/week).
I volunteer with the Circles Campaign and the organization was recently featured on the CBS Evening News. Basically the program creates an intentional friendship between people living in poverty with people who aren’t.
If my book were self-published, I wouldn’t have been reviewed in TIME.
If my book were self-published, it wouldn’t have found its way onto the shelf of an airport bookstore and into the hands of the sociology professor at Wingate University who was the first to champion it as a common reader text.
If my book were self-published, I’d still have a “real” job.
If my book were self-published, universities wouldn’t purchase a thousand copies at a time for their entire freshman class to read.
If my book were self-published, my wife would’ve had to find a new job instead of deciding to stay at home.
I have nothing against self-publishing. In fact, I foresee a future in which I’ll traditionally publish and…
As much as I love meeting students at universities when I visit to speak, meeting the faculty is pretty cool too.
After a recent talk at West Texas A&M I had a chance to talk travel with a few faculty. One of the professors was a horse trainer who told a hilarious story about being invited to Saudi Arabia to judge racing camels. Another was Dr. James Hallmark, Provost/Vice President of Academic Affairs. James (we’re Facebook friends, so I’ll drop the formalities) told a rip-roaring tale about traveling in Turkey and how he thought he had been abducted by al Qaeda.
Following my visit, James wrote an editorial for the Amarillo Globe News about my visit. In Consider Where Our Clothes Are Made James writes…
This past Wednesday 104 protestors marched from Ball State to downtown Muncie where they chanted the same things as the Occupy Wall Street Movement.
“Banks got bailed out, we got sold out.”
“This is what democracy looks like!”
“We are the 99-percent!”
I understand the outrage. I’m surprised that it’s taken so long for people to stand up. I’m like the farthest thing from a Tea Party activist, but I understood when they took to the streets a few years ago, too. I can’t believe it’s taken this long to get people fired up.
FALSE PROMISES
Our lives have been built on false promises. Graduate high school. Get…
Someone once told me that being a parent is one of the hardest and best jobs you’ll ever have. I believe it. I’ve had Harper (2), and Griffin (4-months) on my own for a few sweaty, poop-filled, patience-trying days. It was great, but exhausting.
In 1970, 70% of mothers stayed at home with their children. Today only 25% of mothers are stay-at-home moms (SAHM). Obviously what has changed is that mothers love their kids less than they did in 1970, right?
Nick Gerlich and Kris Drumheller of West Texas A&M University are conducting a study to see how consumers view made-in-America and made-in-sweatshop products and whether or not reading Where Am I Wearing? impacts that view.
The survey takes 10 minutes. If you haven’t read Where Am I Wearing?, you can still take it. A drawing will be held on November 30, 2011, and one person will win an Amazon Kindle Touch.
I’m eager to see the results.
TAKE IT NOW or I will curse you with a Kindle-Touchless life and an eternity of itchy underwear tags.
You can check out Nick and Kris’s other research projects at their site Media…
Steve Jobs was the creator of the iPod, iPhone, iTunes, Pixar, computers that actually run, and a technology empire, but if you asked him what his greatest role in life was, he would answer: iDad. Here’s Jobs on fatherhood:
“It’s 10,000 times better than anything I’ve ever done.”
We went to the park tonight and had another picnic just like we did the night before. That’s how we roll. There’s no better job than being a dad and there’s no greater creation than a child.
Griffin and I hope your weekend is off to as good of a start as ours. Nothing beats a picnic at a park and some quality public hand chewing.
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