Chance Encounter

There she was... just standing there. I don't know if this was a chance encounter or if fate and destiny collaborated in the designing and planning of such a meeting.  Our eyes locked in a playful gaze.  But, when my eyes were presented with such beauty I did what I always do... I shyly turned away. The look couldn't have been more than a second but her angelic impression will exist on my mind and in my heart until 7 days past eternity.

She was stunning beyond words... intoxicating... addictive... So addictive, in fact, that one glance was too many and 10,000 glances will never be enough.  But, I was powerless... I had to look again.  It was against my better judgement but I was well past being in control at this point.

We had to meet. There was no other option.  I couldn't walk away even if I had wanted to.  And since there was no way to retreat I walked over to her.  With every step closer to her I could feel my grasp of the English language disappearing as if it was pages being torn from a dictionary and being burned in a cozy, warm fire.

I didn't feel lost or frightened.  I just found myself wordless.  With words failing, I thought it best to revert to a more primitive form of communication... I reached for her.  With every ounce of my being I stretched out my arms and wrapped her in my warm and loving embrace.

And it was at that moment I realized... that GIANT Reese's Peanut Butter Easter Egg was going to be mine, ALL MINE! And it was a blissful 15 seconds.  It would have been a relationship to last all throughout the ages... or at least the drive home.  It was meant to be, until.....

Word to the Wise: Do NOT even GLANCE at the calories and sugar content.  Either eat the amazing, wonder gift from the heavens OR just simply walk away.  Don't make the same mistake I did and read the box.  I walked away from one of the most perfect things ever. But tomorrow is another day and I will make NO promises.

10000 Steps

I read the other day that we are supposed to walk 10,000 steps a day. I painstakingly measured it and that is roughly the distance from my house... to the moon. (Please don't fact check that! Trust me on this.  I'm passing straight from the Troposphere through the Exosphere to the moon!) I downloaded a pedometer to my phone and decided to see how much I walk each day.  It was very... eye opening to say the least.

I found out that on a normal day I don't even walk 2,000 steps!!! One day I only registered 1,200 steps. (And that was with me shaking the phone vigorously! I might have even thrown my shoulder out cheating like this.  But there is no proof... So, it didn't happen.) But 1,200 steps?!? That's barely over a 10th of what I'm supposed to get EACH day!

Sure, there are days when I get about 4,000 steps.  Truth be told... those are the days I drink a TON of water. That really equals 1,200 steps NORMALLY and 2,800 steps going from my desk to the restroom!!! (For those who don't believe... water has a way of inspiring very much needed steps!) But, steps are steps no matter the inspiration.

I know that number is not 100% accurate.  But it's close enough to let me know that I really need to focus more on some important things and making those things happen.  Because, when you think about it, that 10,000 steps is a good metaphor for life.  Life starts with one step. Yeah, there is a debate on when life truly begins. But, that's not what I'm talking about.  I'm talking about learning a skill that will take you longer in your life than most other skills will take you... walking.

And even that has more meaning than just... walking.  When you are playing sports and you get hurt (not injured) what does the coach say? Walk it off. When you are in an abusive situation, what do your friends say? Walk away. When life hits you with an ACME-sized anvil worth of problems what should you do? Walk tall! When you are Aerosmith, what universal truth do you tell your fans??? Walk this way!

So many things in life tell you that the simple act of walking is so important to your life, future and legacy.  And, I'm not afraid to admit it... I'm in the process of learning how to walk again.  It's not a quick process like a newborn horse or giraffe.  It's deep down human survival.  Life can be kind.  And sometimes it can be downright cruel! We have a lot of control over a little and a little control over a lot! But, in the end... life will surprise us when we least expect it.

Sometimes that means we might physically have to learn how to walk again.  And I will never discount that struggle.  I can't imagine how much strength it would take to learn to physically walk again. I would never want to learn that lesson... again... the hard way.  But, I would challenge that learning to walk (figuratively) as a person again is just as important. And to be as honest as I can... Our lives will probably not be measured by all of the issues we had to deal with.  Our lives will probably be measured on how we walk.  Not really how far... but how.

And right there...
That very spot...

That's where I am right now.  I'm learning how to walk again.  Putting one foot in front of the other.  Falling more often than I would like... but getting back up.  Stumbling. Missing my mark. Getting frustrated. Getting tired.  Getting disgusted at times.  But never stopping. Never giving up.  Never believing this is my destiny. Never submitting that this is all my story has to offer.  So, I keep moving on.  Walking the best way I know how.  And that's why I decided to revive this blog.  It was dead and gone because of the events of life.

But it will live on just as I will live on.

Why?

Simply, because I choose to keep moving.
Simply, because I choose to keep putting one foot in front of the other.
Simply, because I have taken 1 step...

I have 9,999 more steps to go...

And life's pedometer starts at zero every single day.

Welcome Back

After 18 months of soul searching... I have decided to resurrect Dad By Trade. Soooo many things have changed.  Some good... some bad.  But all different.  Life doesn't sit still.  It speeds up.  It slows down.  The pace literally can change from one moment to the next... But there is always a pace.  And, if you can be sure there is a pace, you can be sure there is a direction as well.  And my current direction is taking me back to writing. Now, the pace... that one is a little tricky.

If you are still here with me... AWESOME! I hope to genuinely catch up with you.  And, if you are not still here with me... then you won't get this post anyway! So,

:-P PPPPPPPP!!!!

Anyway... I plan to start adding posts soon.  And thank you for hanging with ME while I search for... ME.

I Bid Thee Adieu

Hello, Dad By Trade fans.  I wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for reading my blog throughout these 5 and a half years.  I received amazing feedback about my blog over those years and I took all comments to heart.  That's kinda what you do when you are blogging about yourself and your family.

So, it is with much sadness that I am officially retiring my blog today. I haven't written in a while so I'm sure most of will be surprised to even read THIS.  But I didn't want to close this blog out without at least saying goodbye to all of you who kept me writing for all of those years.  It was fun and I enjoyed every moment!

I will be working on other projects.  And anyone who wants to be included on any of my other endeavors just let me know.  You will get the invite.  You can comment on THIS post or you can send me an email directly.  I think you should still be able to do so from my blog page as I will not be taking it down for a while.  Basically, if you want to contact me there are a few ways to do so.

And, once again, thanks for being a LARGE part of what made my blog successful.

I bid thee adieu!

More From the Dad By Trade Archives

GOOD MORNING EVERYONE!!!  I'm posting more from the Dad By Trade Facebook Page.  I'm still working on the Google+ Page.  It's a little bit of a change.  Once all of that is taken care of I will have to post some new stories.  But until then, here is another post from the archives.

1. I am 100% convinced that the Terrible 2s is a disease that affects the whole family. This is not something that needs to be taken lightly. I'm going to search for a charitable organization that is dedicated to the destruction of this evil menace to society. Wish me luck. My family's sanity might depend on it.
2. The 2YO is REALLY taking this Terrible 2s thing to the max. And now she has added on the fact that she only wants MOMMY during these tantrums. At first I was a little bit upset. Then I thought... She's yelling, kicking, screaming, falling and hitting everything in sight AND she doesn't want to have anything to do with me during those times...
   Wish granted!!!Sorry, MOMMY! 
3. 1.5 hr long movie with appropriate ages = 1.5 hrs.    1.5 hr long movie with a 2YO and 4YO... 4 hrs and 37 minutes.
4. Fishing the bead out of my 2YO's nose this weekend felt like I was playing that old game OPERATION (complete with tweezers and sounds). Does anyone else remember that? She didn't cry so I must have won!
5. After disappointing my 4YO when I told her we couldn't go down the wrong street so she could see some Christmas lights she asked, "Can I drive next time so we can go see the Christmas lights?" She was very convincing so I might just let her.
6. Can someone remind me again why I'm doing this potty training thing while my wife is over 200 miles away? It looks like a carpet cleaning is in my future.
7. In today's high-tech society, why can't we create a baby monitor that can filter out general whining and allow only legitimate crying through the speaker? There has to be software for that. And if not... there should be!
8. Our house is much quieter when the kids are playing together. And by playing together I mean when the 5YO is bossing the 2YO around. The loudness comes when the 2YO has had enough. How dare she have independent thought.
9. Me: Hey, Lyndi. What do you want for lunch today?
   
   Lyndi (The 6YO): Ummm... Pixie Dust.
   
   Is this some 6yo slang I need to worry about?
10. My middle child is acting more and more like me every day. I will have to take some time to figure out how much of a blessing or curse this is.