Patience, My Dad, Patience

As for most people, Christmas for us this year was filled with family, giving, celebration, joy, fatigue and stress. Making a surprise appearance for me, though, was karma. Noah reciprocated one of my commonly used excuses and made Christmas my first "Someday."

He was having fun coloring with his cousins, and I asked if I could join them at their table. Noah politely responded, "No, Daddy. Maybe someday when you get bigger." The simple assumption would be that he doesn't actually understand what the phrase means, since I usually provide that response anytime he wants to try something dangerous. In truth, he may be more perceptive than we realize since I often use it as a quick and easy excuse if I don't want him to do something; and I don't want to argue with him about it, put up with a tantrum and go into a detailed explaination of the pros and cons of the proposed activity. Thus, it appears that I may have to either adjust my repsonses to his requests or be a very patient man if I want to color with my son, because I haven't grown in a decade.

What probably brought me the greatest joy from the experience was his comfort on his own and with his cousins. It looks like I will be reluctantly observing from a distance more and more as he explores, armed with a purple crayon and his imagination.

Let it Be

Another recurring theme in Noah's life, besides anticipating Somedays, is the bedtime ritual of songs, and "Let it Be" typically takes center stage as the grand finale. The song often offers a fascinating, fun glimpse into Noah's memory, concerns, desires and imagination. Sunday night's example (with Noah in bold):


Let it Be (4x). It's time to go to bed now, Let it Be (2x)
Today Vivi came to play, and we threw lots of snowballs
And we sled down the driveway and went inside and drank hot chocolate!
Let it Be (2x)

Ari looked like a pink furry starfish, and Noah wore his cool snowsuit
And Noah's boots and hat and mittens - ouch hands are cold!
Let it Be (2x)

Let it Be (4x). Good night my boy Noah, Let it Be (2x)

Sometimes when we play hockey - we shoot and lose the puck
And then we get the flashlight and I find it and shoot and score and you fall down!
Let it Be (2x)

Tomorrow Daddy goes to work, and I hope you have a good day
Maybe you'll... watch Monster's Aliens and play hockey and drink chocolate milk and eat my sandwich and take a nap and then you'll come home?
Let it Be (2x)

Let it Be (4x). Sweet dreams and sleep well, Let it Be (2x)


Mare and I find ourselves singing the song in our heads for sanity purposes, so the Beatles have served us well. I think it first surfaced after a day when Noah fell and cut himself pretty badly, but it has helped rejuvenate much more than a skinned knee ever since.

Let it be a Merry Christmas for all of you.

What's in the name?

The title comes from an experience with my son, Noah, who was 2 at the time. As we walked by a skateboard park he smiled and questioned, "Noah try, Daddy?" I thought for a moment and answered, "Someday." He pumped his arms in the air and shouted, "Someday! Someday, Daddy!" Of course I had to explain that "Someday" was not one of the seven days of the week we'd been teaching him, but the word has become a cornerstone of his always-growing vocabulary to refer to our adventures to come.

My family treats life as an adventure, and I hope to share our experiences, both large and small, with those who are curious to find out what can happy on any given "Someday!"