I have been contributing here at Alexandria for nearly a year, and it has been a wonderful experience. I have enjoyed sharing my thoughts on issues of law, and you sharing your opinions which frequently differed. Through excellent debate I have learned a great deal from those who have commented on my pieces, and I am honored that you took time out of your life to read them.
But this is my last post at Alexandria (at least for a while), and it is part of a larger restructuring of my life.
It has everything to do with time. As regular readers may have noticed, recently I have been posting infrequently, and have been slow to comment (or I have not replied at all), but it’s not because I’m afraid to engage readers. It’s because I am (way) short of time, and I have decided it’s unfair to the readers who try to have conversation with me, but it turns out to be one-sided.
Long story short, in recent months when I have assembled my to-do list each morning, every day I realize that three of me couldn’t finish the list. The good news is that most of the items on my list are tasks I enjoy; the bad news is I worry so much about the things I enjoy but am not getting done—like checking in here, carefully reading comments, and giving a thoughtful reply—that I am often too distracted to enjoy even those things I am doing. That’s a dysfunctional situation that I am in the process of fixing.
(Side Note: My blog, The Country Thinker, has suffered as well, and I have committed to keeping articles to 500 words or less—some of my articles are over 1000 words and take 4-5 hours to research, write, and edit. I just can’t spend that kind of time blogging, and I think readers will appreciate shorter pieces as well.)
Let me explain where a lot of my time is going, and then how a to-do list can become so unwieldy will make more sense. As many of you know, I have a five-year-old son who will be my only child. We live in the country with no other children close, so not only am I a father teaching him to read, build things, and about nature, I am his primary playmate as well. Mom does a great job, too, but he’s in school where things like rough-housing are forbidden, so I have to make sure he gets enough rough-and-tumble time, which is more of my specialty than hers.
So from 7:00-8:45 in the morning (when the bus arrives), and from 4:30-9:30 bedtime, as well as most of the weekend, I spend most of that time with my son. Right now I’m still his hero, but in a few short years I know I will be seen as a know-nothing dork (some of you may already think that!), or at the least, not nearly as cool as his friends.
That is a considerable amount of time, and time I cannot in good conscience sacrifice. So many items on my to-do list have to be taken off until I get a few major projects squared away, and sadly, contributing here is one of them.
Long story short, I hope to return to writing here at some point, and if I do, you will know that I’ve gotten my life in better order. So I want to thank you all for taking the time to read my articles and post comments (even if I have been neglectful in replying), and, of course, H.M. for inviting me to publish here. And don’t worry, I’ll still be around, just maybe not as often.
God bless America, and God bless all of you.
End Note
I PROMISE to reply to any comments this time!
Your son is a lucky kid. You’ll always be his hero. I’ve taken much the same path as you in being a father. It’s worth every moment, plus some.
Thank you. I suppose I’m like many other dads who wonder whether they’re worthy of hero status.
I’ll miss your writings, but you are right to focus on the most important things.
That’s the tough thing about it. I feel contributing here is important. There is a lot of excellent dialogue and constructive debate. But I had to choose, and I felt a parental obligation to make my kiddo number one.
We will miss you and your contributions. However, as I earlier today mentioned to a friend, when we are not at work, we need to spend time with our children. If we choose to bring a child into the world, we need to make the investment of time that will make clear to that child that we made that choice willingly and with love. Have fun, your son will grow up too soon and pass through a number of phases that will dismay, excite, enthrall, and amaze you. Have fun.
I’m glad at least it’s a happy reason you won’t be posting here. Your son is worth it.
The day I really started thinking about reorganizing my life was when we were fishing, and I was so focused on a dozen other things I wasn’t really “present” with him. I decided that needed to stop.
Best of luck. It sounds like you have your priorities in order. They grow up way too fast.
Steve
I want to give you an extra special thanks, Steve. We often disagreed, but you challenged me on many levels. Keep up the good work, and when I can find time I will come here and read your work. Excellent stuff, by the way.
I will still have MI, I hope, to correct me when I say stupid stuff about the law.
Steve
Hah! I look forward to debating with you some more.
I don’t plan on leaving anytime soon. But do keep in mind that while Country Thinker actually is an attorney, I’m just a layman with unusual hobbies & too much time on his hands.
I’ll miss your posts Country Thinker!
Sorry to see you go, but your son is lucky to have you.