What This Is

I just turned 40 this month. Though I had been writing for years, I had chosen not to write about Tess. After all, I had stories to tell! I was writing about food trucks and murderers, about jetpacks and machines that could record and play back memories. I had quit my law job to stay at home, and I had only a few things to say about that home life, just enough for some short pieces on Playground Dad. Sure, there was plenty of drama at home, but I kept it to myself.

But then, right before my birthday, I talked with another writer, a guy who's also going through some stuff, with a medically fragile kid. Even though our kids' situations are completely different, I saw in his stories some of what I felt with Tess:  the dizzying unpredictability, the numbing hours spent in hospital rooms. Above all, his writing seemed to help him make sense of things.

So when I turned the big 4-0, I decided to see how it felt. Just to see what I have to say. I purposely wrote it on my personal blog, because no one reads that (I have, like, one follower); even if my writings were out there, at least they wouldn't be out there. These entries would be more for myself than anyone else. What I forgot was that I had configured that blog to automatically post on Facebook. Turns out.

Since then I've heard from friends far and wide, some of whom I haven't talked to in ten years or more. Their support has been astounding, and I am really grateful. I guess I have more to say than I realized. Stay tuned.