I think I've made it known already that I like for things to, for the most part, stay the same. This is especially true when it comes to my day-to-day activities. In any given week, I'm likely to go to the same places, eat the same meals and watch the same TV shows.
Having a baby in the house has really shaken up my daily habits, and I initially thought I would have a hard time adjusting to all of these changes. But here we are, three months into this and not only am I handling it well, I find myself looking for even more ways to shake things up.
Now, I've never been particularly motivated to seek out activities that would challenge me. I know a lot of people who live for that moment when they accomplish something they really didn't know they could do, but I would rather do things I know I can do. It would be an absolutely fair assumption for you to say I'm rather tame and don't have an adventurous bone in my body. I don't even know where that bone would be. The adventurous bone is connected to the ... hip bone?
The problem with being nearly 30-years-old and having this all-of-a-sudden desire to take up mountain biking, go hiking or camping, buy fishing gear or play drums in a country band is finding that starting point.
And for those wondering, I do find playing drums in a country band to be equally as adventurous as riding a bike down a mountain.
I also am a little perplexed by my desire to do things that could wind up with me lying in a hospital bed drinking a ham sandwich through a straw, especially considering I have a daughter who doesn't need Daddy to be in traction.
But maybe she's why I'm looking to mix things up. Not in a quarter-life-crisis kind of way, rather in a I-want-to-be-a-well-rounded-father kind of way. As it stands, if Caroline grows up to be into video games, "Star Wars" and the finest root beer money can buy, then I'm golden. You're looking at dad of the year here. But she may not like any of those things, and she and I may miss out on invaluable father-daughter moments in life because we're not very close.
I don't think I could handle that, and I don't plan on finding out.
So I'm looking to try some new things. The problem is, as I mentioned before, I have no idea where to start. Most of these things I'm wanting to do are things that not only have I never done, but things I've actively worked to avoid over the last few decades.
The adventure of having a baby is a lot different than, say, camping. Once we found out Ashley was pregnant, all we really had to do was wait for Caroline to get here. However, I don't feel like I can go buy a tent, throw it in the back of my car and wait for it to take me to a good camping spot and set itself up.
Again, I have no experience with this, so for all I know, it could actually work that way ... but I don't think it does.
So I have to prepare for whatever activity I plan to do. I have to get myself ready for what's to come. That, my loyal readers, is the difference between a parent and someone with a kid. Preparation. Anyone can have a kid, and many do without any regard to what it takes to raise them. A true parent, however, a real father prepares for what's to come.
I spent months preparing for my little girl. Reading books, remodeling and painting, building and assembling things and readying myself mentally for the new life I would soon be responsible for.
When world-renowned adventurer Bear Grylls goes out on another trek, he doesn't just wake up one morning, grab his pack and head out the door. No. He spends a great deal of time preparing. He eats healthy, trains hard and spends time with those closest to him. I heard a quote once attributed to him that said, "You can't prepare for everything, but you can prepare and you'd be foolish not to."
This is the sign of a true adventurer, and this is the sign of a father. Don't avoid what's out there, prepare yourself to be the very best you can be. The best adventurer, the best father, the best root beer drinker, the best you.
For more visit www.thejedidad.wordpress.com or follow me on Twitter at @TheJediDad or @CN_ChrisP. May the force be with you.
cpinkard@blythevillecourier.com