Throughout the month of November, we bring you one thing our writers and editors are grateful for every single day. Today, Dan Coxon is grateful to be an at-home dad.
–
Since the birth of my son – almost two years ago – my life has undergone seismic changes. My wife and I made the decision that I would stay home to look after Jacob, while she continued to pursue her career. Everything has turned upside down, back to front, expanding and contracting in ways I never foresaw. The old me feels like an imagined past life.
And yet I still find that I’m thankful every day, for the smallest things, or the biggest. Having less time and less energy has intensified my life, distilling it down to its essence. It has become sweeter, and sharper, and more painful, or joyful, or strange.
I am thankful for every kiss Jacob lands on my cheek, every laugh that gurgles from his throat, every warm cuddle before bedtime. For every minute I spend reading to him, expanding and creating his world. Every smile at a new toy, every word that’s added to his emerging dictionary.
But I find that I’m also thankful for every minute of sleep, for every chance to leave him at home and resume the life I left behind. For every drink I share with friends, despite the fact that I may not see them again for six months. For every moment of silence when he’s engrossed in his play. For every offer to babysit. For every chance to spend time alone, at peace.
And despite all the toils, all the sleepless nights, I find that I’m thankful for this new life, so different to the old. For the chance – earned so rarely – to be more than I ever thought I could be.
What are you thankful for this month of Thanksgiving?
Photo: Flickr/Eselsmann™