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The Good Life – November-December 2018

Featuring Sheriff Paul Laney. Local Hero - CHARISM, Having a Beer with Joel Heitkamp, Mr. Full-Time Dad and more in Fargo Moorhead's only men's magazine.

Featuring Sheriff Paul Laney. Local Hero - CHARISM, Having a Beer with Joel Heitkamp, Mr. Full-Time Dad and more in Fargo Moorhead's only men's magazine.

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FATHERS | MR. FULL-TIME DAD<br />

WRITTEN BY: BEN HANSON<br />

N<br />

obody told me parenthood is a path toward<br />

enlightenment. <strong>The</strong>y told me it’s expensive,<br />

tiring and thankless. <strong>The</strong>re’s a bit of truth to<br />

both takes, but lately I’ve found myself inordinately<br />

delighted by the unpredictable antics of my three-yearold<br />

son, Macklin. Tomfoolery that would otherwise<br />

inspire madness has become the highlight of my days.<br />

I’m completely content with evenings spent lying<br />

facedown on a living room floor that hasn’t seen a<br />

vacuum in weeks, getting jumped on by a 40-pound<br />

toddler. It may not be your definition of enlightenment,<br />

but it’s as close as I’ve so far come to my own.<br />

As we approach the holiday season, starting with<br />

Thanksgiving, I can’t help but reflect on ‘<strong>The</strong> <strong>Good</strong><br />

<strong>Life</strong>’ I’m living. Each day of parenthood brings new<br />

revelations, but while playing the part of a doughy-soft<br />

crash pad for Macklin — future WWE star — a deep<br />

realization burst into my awareness. Or maybe it was a<br />

budding frontal lobe migraine caused by the repeated<br />

blows. Either way, the thought holds true: every phase<br />

of Mack’s young life somehow becomes my favorite.<br />

Again, it may just be a sign of cumulative brain damage<br />

and memory loss, but every shift in personality, every<br />

major or minor milestone achieved, every new<br />

word, step or stumble beguiles me. Is it possible<br />

to fall in love with potty training? To find beauty in<br />

bloodied knees? To embrace fits of tantramonious<br />

rage? Why yes, it is. It is the zen of parenting — loving<br />

your offspring so much, that (most) every moment<br />

blossoms into a cherished memory. A few examples...<br />

THE FIRST GIGGLE<br />

Looking down at a newborn in your arms is tough to<br />

beat. It’s a moment of purity, like looking out the front<br />

window to see winter’s first blanket of unblemished<br />

white snow greet the morning sun (unless you hate<br />

winter, of course). But that first giggle… ah, it’s life<br />

changing. A smile may be the first indication that your<br />

child recognizes you, but a giggle is the first time he<br />

really gets you. I’ve shared in thousands of giggles by<br />

this point, but each one is my favorite.<br />

CURIOUS ABOUT EVERYTHING<br />

Toddlers are as enlightened as any being out there.<br />

Why? Because they live completely in the moment.<br />

Everything is new and mysterious, and everything is<br />

capable of inspiring awe at a moment’s notice. If<br />

you go along for the<br />

journey with<br />

them, you get the chance to<br />

catch a whiff or two<br />

of second- h a n d<br />

awe. Every<br />

walk<br />

2 / THE GOOD LIFE / urbantoadmedia.com

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