Captain’s Log. Diaper Date 2717. Daddy Chronicles: Relevancy.
I’m on an airplane, an airplane traveling over Arizona headed to San Francisco, and it strikes me – I wonder how far my grandparents traveled. I know they both visited outside the state of Ohio, but how far did they go? Pennsylvania? Kentucky? Did they ever make it out West? Does it really matter, no, but I have a feeling they would be amazed with the fact that I’m on a plane. Again.
I’m here because I write. That fact doesn’t get lost on me. It is an amazing blessing that I am thankful for. And I am equally, if not more thankful, that my family, specifically my wife, affords me the opportunity to get away and attend an amazing conference like the Dad 2.0 Summit. I am thankful.
Here’s the funny thing. I wonder if this is how batboys feel traveling to an All-Star game. In mere hours, I am going to have an opportunity to rub shoulders, elbows, and smartphones with some of the “All-Stars” of my industry. I get to see some people that I truly respect for their craft, for their courage, for their willingness to share their thrills and defeats as parents (there will be some moms there too). In all honesty, this “industry” is much more of a community. The “All-Stars” that I speak of don’t carry themselves that way. They aren’t aloof. They are some of the most humble, compassionate, and giving individuals that I have met.
I joked, pondered, about the batboy analogy because at times it is easy to feel so small, to feel like you are screaming into a vortex of content. Our “industry”, at times, talks about data – page views, Facebook Likes, shares- ways to measure relevancy.
I think as parents, whether we are writers or not, we are all searching relevancy – not to be confused with acceptance or attention. We want what we do to matter, to mean something, to make a difference some way.
Sometimes we get lost in the vortex, and may even find ourselves clawing to get into the vortex of voices and opinions. That’s when we have to realize that the only relevancy that really matters is our relevancy at home.
I’m looking forward to the next few days. I will learn ways to become a better writer, a better husband, a better father. I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of this community, and I look forward to sharing some of what I learn here in this space.
Stay tuned, Poop Deck Community, there’s lots of fun ahead. I’m the meantime I have to put my tray in the upright position and prepare to land.
That’s it for now…Captain out. 