It’s hard to believe that exactly one week ago right now I was sitting in the hospital room (in one of the most uncomfortable chairs you could imagine) swimming in thoughts, worries, and excitement. I was tired; I was worried about Jessica and how she was doing; I was anxious about meeting our new little guy; and I was seriously not liking the chair. There were moments of downtime, as when I snapped the picture above of myself, and moments of action. But there were also lots of moments for thought and reflection, most of which were spent dwelling on the aforementioned items. Especially the chair.

Now here I am, exactly one week later, typing this brief update after having just soothed Will down from a very upset stomach. And as I cuddled him close to me (pressure on his tummy helps relieve the pain) in the darkened nursery, slowly rocking back and forth, I was so overwhelmed by calm and one clear thought: this is what it’s all about. I can get caught up in material things (there is always new fly fishing gear to be had, or a new guitar that is better than what I have, or a new family car), work things, and even things that don’t matter very much (like why is my Time magazine late this week or is this week’s episode of Desperate Housewives new?). But when you throw everything into a big pot and mix it together, it all just melts away into oblivion when you are rocking your child and being a parent. And the rocker really isn’t that comfortable, either. But I don’t care at all.