It was a long day

But a whiff of sunscreen had me wanting more

Monday through Friday, I publish a short,, hopefully relatable musing about fatherhood and all that it encompasses. Thank you for reading.

Riding the train together.

It was a long day.

It was one of those days where the bottoms of your feet hurt and your knees feel weak as you finish the day’s tasks.

It was one of those days, those real hot summertime days, where you spend all day outside doing things. Church, local events, sports, grocery shopping. A little bit of this, a little bit of that, all done as a family.

(You know, children are lauded for the abundance of energy they have — and they do have a lot of energy — but sometimes I have to give a tip of the hat to parents for how we’re able to just keep going on days that require it.)

By day’s end, I was standing at the window, staring out at nothing in particular, as a man is wont to do, when suddenly I caught a whiff of my daughter’s sunscreen on my arm. It’s one of those bougie, non-toxic sunscreens my wife spent an inordinate amount of time doing research on and it has an unmistakable smell to it that I picked up without hesitation.

Just then, I was wishing she was still awake — that our day together could continue on just a bit longer. Just then, I didn’t feel as tired as I did a moment ago.

And that’s a kind of magic you get to experience as a parent. No matter how tired you are, no matter how rough bedtime might’ve been, no matter how much you feel like you need some alonetime, all it takes is a little whiff of their sunscreen and you’re ready to go once more.

How lucky we are.

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