Perspective

If you know anything about Kate or me you know that we are die hard Penn State Football fans. So you can imagine how today's severe and unjust punishment affected the both of us. Anger is probably the best word I can use to describe what I felt after hearing the announcement. After I got home from work, Kate and I shared a few hugs to console one another. I then made the comment how this has been a "rough year." Kate quickly reminded me about Nolan being born this very same year and it really made me think. 

Obviously I wasn't referring to the birth of our first child as part of what made this year rough, nor was I overlooking it. What I was referring to was that three sad events happened this year that served as a reminder to me that I am growing up and becoming farther removed from my youth. The passing of MCA of the Beastie Boys, the disbanding of our favorite band Ween, and now the Penn State penalties have all been emotional events for me and Kate. They also all happened after Nolan was born. Now I don't know what to make of the timing of the events, but I do find it a bit curious. It's almost as if those three events needed to occur so that I could distance myself from my youth and move closer to my new life as a father. The funny thing about it is, I have been less emotionally affected by these events than I would've been before Nolan's birth and I think that's why all of this happened when it did.

The truth of the matter is Nolan is more important to me than all of those upsetting events. I certainly would've been in a worse mood without him in the picture. That said, I want to thank Nolan for helping me through this "rough year" and for helping me realize that as long as I have him in my life that I will never have another "rough year" again.