Day 1642
Paige was out enjoying some time to herself today, and I was home with Sloan and Ryder. They were smiling and playing with each other, and watching them, I felt this overwhelming sense of wholeness. I’ve made plenty of mistakes. There are things I wish I’d done differently and things I’m still trying to figure out. But man, I’m thankful to be their father.
There is so much out there to consume. Another article, another video, another show, another person doing something you wish you were doing. You could spend your entire life keeping up and still fall behind. Sometimes I wonder how much of my own life I overlook because there’s always something else available to look at online.
IT’S FAKE BIG DOG. PIXELS ON A SCREEN. PUT THE PHONE DOWN STUD. YOU HAVE A REAL LIFE TO LIVE… The universe is funny man. As I was typing that out my son was woken up so I went into our room to put him back to sleep. He was out in like 2 minutes and I couldn’t help but smile at what an amazing little dude he is. So easy going. Now I’m back to finish the rest of this medium.
Today, my Tufts football buddies were together for homecoming, watching the boys beat Hamilton. I wish I could have been there. Getting everyone together becomes a real accomplishment as we get older, and I know how good it feels because I’d just spent the previous weekend actualizing with friends in Jacksonville. I’m thankful we have a group chat where I can see everyone, crack jokes with the boys, and stay connected from hundreds of miles away. That technology lets these friendships remain part of my everyday life.
Meanwhile, right in front of me, my kids were enjoying each other. I could miss my friends and still feel incredibly lucky to be exactly where I was.
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“Enjoy the journey” is advice I’ve heard so many times that I can almost stop hearing it altogether. Today I actually felt what it means. I don’t have to get everything right before I’m allowed to appreciate the life I have. The mistakes deserve enough attention to fix them, but otherwise you should focus on the good things happening in your life. Your attention, like Bitcoin, is finite.
I hope I make it to homecoming next year. Maybe I’ll bring the kids and introduce them to everyone. Today, I got to watch them smile and play together, and I’m glad I stopped long enough to appreciate it.
God is good.
Jesus Christ is the King of kings.
Amen.
9/19/26
Conor Jay Chepenik
