WTF, Holidays are Here Already?

Thanksgiving always sneaks up on me. I think because I am still adjusting to daylight saving time, and it’s weird to say that as I have gotten older it seems to really affect me more. It really throws me off, I have always been a morning person but these last few weeks I wake up at 5 AM every morning. That’s just unnecessary. The holiday rush comes fast, so I figured I would slow down and actually think about what I am thankful for. I tend to notice the weird little moments in life. The stuff that keeps me grounded and oddly amused. So here are a few things I am thankful for this year that of course are different from the usual. We are not cliché.

The Minutes of Peace Before the Kids Wake Up

Every parent knows that tiny window of calm. It is the part of the morning when the house almost feels like a retreat. You sip your coffee and for a moment you think “I got this.” Then one of your little creations yells “Daaaadda?” from their room and it begins. Still, those few minutes mattered. They remind me that peace exists in small doses and that I can survive another morning of chaos.

Closing the Car Door for One Quiet Second

Another thing I am weirdly thankful for is a very specific moment, closing the car door while the kids are still talking. I know it sounds terrible, and I know it looks questionable on paper or in this case screen, but there is something deeply satisfying about it. You walk to the car and your kid is talking nonstop, you buckle them up and they are talking nonstop. BAM, door is shut mid-sentence. For that one second, the world goes silent. That small moment helps me gather my thoughts again and honestly just laugh. It’s what I imagine hitting pause on life feels like. I love it.

Friends Who Communicate Only in Memes

I am thankful for the friends who do not ask how I am doing but send memes instead. They check in with raccoon videos, ridiculous fails, and pictures of bears doing human shit. We send each other a lot of bear pictures and videos. I once had a job where I had to send out a daily newsletter to all staff. My boss suggested I make it “fun” and add some trivia at the start of it each day. I was able to go about 2 months before anyone noticed every trivia fact I used was about bears. Honestly, it’s one of my favorite workplace accomplishments. At this point I should just say I am thankful for bears. Anyway, these friends understand that sometimes laughter is better than a long conversation. There is something comforting about being understood without having to explain anything. It shows that support can look different for everyone.

Support is Not a Limited Resource

There are the friends who like every post I make even when the algorithm refuses to show it to anyone. You are the real MVPs. They hit like and comment like it is their part-time job. Their support makes this whole SavePointDad thing work. If people do not engage with your content, it is not shown to anybody. I have about 5,000 followers on Instagram but some posts are only shown to about 600 people. It’s crazy how the algorithm works. Now I like every post I see and comment whenever I can.

Health

This year, I am more thankful for my health than ever. My family has been through a tough stretch, the kind that takes a while to heal from. When you watch people you love navigate serious medical challenges or even worse, when there is no longer progress, only comfort, health stops being a holiday cliché and becomes something you appreciate every time you wake up feeling strong enough to run, lift, or chase your kids. I notice my body more now. Hard years never leave quietly. The reality is they bring negative and at times positive changes. The good changes show up right away, but the bad ones hide in the corners until you finally notice them. I think about that a lot.

Good Old Days

I am thankful for this blog because it keeps me in the moment. SavePointDad was supposed to be a fun random thing I did mixing fatherhood, fitness, and gaming bullshit. Somewhere along the way, it turned into something that helps me slow down. Writing these posts forces me to pay attention to the little things I would normally rush past. There is a quote from The Office that hits harder the older I get: “I wish there was a way to know you were in the good old days before you left them.” This blog is my attempt to recognize the good days while I am still inside them.

Thank You

Thank you for reading these posts, recommending this page, and for sending me messages, voice chats, and emails. This whole thing works because of people like you who remind me that I am not doing this alone and that you were looking for a space like this. I am thankful for you, and I hope you feel that in whatever way we engage.