Yee-hah!

When I was younger, I loved all things American. American films, American beers; I took a 3 month tour of the United States, driving 12,000km from coast to coast and from the Florida Keys in the south to Minnesota in the very north.

I loved it.

What I loved – or what I thought I loved - was the lifestyle of the people in the films I watched and their pace of life; I wanted the same.

I liked the way the people in the films often looked dishevelled and tired, how they were out too late the night before, how they went to work half asleep, grabbed a quick bite to eat for lunch and played at the weekend – baseball in the beautiful wide open spaces, walking through parks coloured with autumn or wrapping up warm for the snowy winters.

I spent a lot of my youth craving a similar lifestyle.

More importantly, I never really felt that I could achieve this lifestyle; it somehow always alluded me.

Or so I thought.

I’ve been giving this some more thought over recent weeks and I’ve come to a conclusion.

This conclusion being that I have, without thinking about it or necessarily wanting it anymore, achieved the kind of life I once dreamed of emulating.

My life is busy. I often look tired and dishevelled. I rush in the morning, work is busy, I rush home, home life is busy (and fun), hours spent sleeping are less than desired (or necessary), my weekends are spent in the park, walking through autumn kissed trees, my laughing children running around swing parks, trying (and failing) to fly a kite ………

And so on.

I’ve made it! I AM the characters in the films I once loved so much.

The only thing is that now, I realise what a waste of time it was yearning for it so much. What the films portrayed was just life but spruced up with good looks, glamorous apartments in Chicago and an endless supply of wonderful, high paid jobs where the boss's wife has a thing for you!

At the risk of giving myself the evil eye (hence above pic), I have a wonderful wife, smashing children, lovely house, a job I’m (fairly) happy with. Ok, the ‘good looks’ part is nowhere to be seen but hey, you can’t have it all right?

Hollywood? Who needs you!

I hope Joseph and Annabel don’t waste time searching for the same things I did.

It’ll come your way eventually kids; just enjoy yourselves.

And more importantly, enjoy being YOU!

Trust me - you’re amazing!