People have asked and wondered about why I always use the tagline of “father, husband, teacher, thinker, reader, and writer.” I’m going to answer that question right now:

Father:

I have a 7-year-old daughter. Her name is Nicole. A recent post showed a little bit of my pride about her, but no one knows the half of it. That little girl has had to deal with deaths in the family at a young age. She’s currently in a violin class and tried to quit but her teacher wouldn’t let her because he believes she’s great at it. She’s part of the Student Technology Leadership Program, of which she won a district contest for doing greeting cards for the elderly and will be competing at state level. She created a poster about bats that she researched, drew, and wrote the words for on her own and it has also been chosen to compete at the state level. She’s part of the girl scouts. She’s reading at a 5th grade level. Her teachers call her the best student in school every time we see them. She’s currently writing and illustrating her own book about the holidays because she WANTED to and is doing it on her own (I’m going to get it published if it kills me). She’s been in the gifted music class, the gifted P.E. class, and is now in the gifted reader class. And with all of this work, she only complains about missing Social Studies and Science classes because of violin class twice a week. However, I’d love her if she had accomplished nothing. She’s currently sleeping on the couch with the cat and has the cutest sleep face I’ve ever seen.

Husband:

My wife of over 10 years is the love of my life. She is my heart. She is my everything. And I’m proud of her too. She graduated with a Family and Consumer Science degree. She has also finished her Masters in Teaching with a 3.8. She’s part of an honor society for teachers. She’s always been the hardest worker I know. She’s my best friend. She keeps me on my diet. She cares for me. She accepts me for who I am and doesn’t try to change me. She played Star Wars Galaxies with me. She played World of Warcraft with me. She plays board games with me. She accepted my recommendation for books I’ve read and has enjoyed them with me. We’ve laid in bed reading Harry Potter together. She is my beginning and end. Always.

Teacher:

I’m currently working on my own Masters degree in Teaching. But I’ve been a teacher since I was quite young. At the age of 14 I was chosen as the Music Director for my church. I taught Sunday School. I was youth director by the age of 16. I’ve been a computer consultant, a tutor, and a trainer at every job I’ve ever had. I love to impart my knowledge to others. That is one of the reasons for this blog. If my information can benefit others, then that is icing on this family man’s cake (cake I can’t eat because of my diet, but cake nonetheless).

Thinker:

I pride myself on thinking. Not the “big headed” kind of pride, but the kind of pride in which I enjoy the fact that as a human being I have and use the ability to think. I came up with a quote that played off an old anti-drug ad: “The mind is a terrible thing to close.” And I live by that motto. I encourage people to tell me every side to every story so that not only can I learn more and have the information necessary to make an informed decision, but so that those people hear each other. The world would be a better place if people would truly communicate. And communication requires listening. Listening requires thinking, or at least true listening does. Thinking is not a skill to be learned. It is a trait we all have as human beings and it is important for us to use it.

Reader:

I love to read. I read about 200 blogs every single day (with more showing up on my list). I read fantasy novels, science fiction novels, horror novels. I read textbooks and non-fiction. I enjoy the English language (and would enjoy others if I could read them). Reading is a form of listening, whether you’re listening to the words of a mother talk about her family or listening to the words of the famous and brilliant philosophers of our time, it’s listening on a level that speech just can’t provide. You can read them over and over if you enjoy them or forget them the next second if you don’t. Reading is a very personal experience. And since reality is truly based on our perceptions at any given moment, a good fantasy novel can change my reality for the briefest of hours, just long enough to feel like a traveler.

Writer:

Last but not the bottom of the barrel is writing. When I speak to people, the words tend to stumble out. I forget words. I’ve had to look at my wife and say, “What is that word? You know the one? It has pages and you read it?” She’d respond, ” A book?” And I’d reply, “Yeah. That’s it. Book.” But when I place the pen to the paper or the fingers to the keys, my mind suddenly starts working again. I can envision the words that I need to say. They flow out of me freely. I once tried to plan a short story for college and received a “C” for my efforts. But the story I sat down and wrote in less than an hour received an “A” and was published in the college chapbook. Writing is an obsession for me. I’ve loved to write for years. I’ll write anything. I liked writing book reports (combined two passions of mine). I liked writing essays. I was one of “those students” and I feel no regret for being so. When I’m writing, a thesaurus opens up in my mind and I start putting down words I never even knew existed. It’s like I’m a different person when I write. That’s the major reason for this blog. Sure, people show up now because of my weight loss. I’ve been told I inspire them to diet. But I want them to stay because of my writing. I want them to hear the thoughts I so desperately try to speak but can only type or write. I want them to see the world through my eyes because it’s a truly beautiful world with wonderful people. But mostly, and here’s my ultimate dream, I want to inspire them to write.

Conclusion:

I profess to be a father, husband, teacher, thinker, reader, and writer because I am those things and am proud to be so. What are you proud of being?

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