Thirteen years ago

We just celebrated my son's 13th birthday tonight.  Teenager.  I was going to write a sentimental treatise on fatherhood and how it's changed my life, but that's rote and not really groundbreaking, out of the ordinary, or a new sensation.

To coin the current overused expression, it is what it is.

And that's what makes these milestone events groundbreaking, extraordinary, and sensational.  They are the milestones of our own experiences within our own lives which are both entirely unique and sometimes mind-numbingly routine.  To despair in the impression that this is all just going through the motions misses the point that everything we do and everyone we know shapes us constantly.

So here's to my boy, who has made me a better man by being who he is and teaching me how to be a better person, just by being who he is.  I know you'll read this sometime.  Happy birthday, pal.