I’ve been listening to my playlist this morning at full blast. I get in at least 1.5 hours earlier than most everyone else in my department, so I get to unplug the earphones and listen out loud for a while. During a four song span, 2 songs came on from one of my favorite albums – Songs In The Key Of Life.

One of them was “Isn’t She Lovely”, which always makes me think of two things:

  1. My own childhood because that’s when the album came out and these songs were HUGE back then
  2. My two little girls, Sabrina and Tessa

My wife and I talk every so often about the future with the kids. We want to be prepared, as much as possible, for what life with two girls is going to bring us rather than just “winging it”. Listening to this Stevie Wonder song always brings a brief spasm of pain because you can hear his little girl – Aisha – in the soundtrack.

Of course, Aisha Wonder is all grown up now, and it makes me realize that my little girls are going to be adult, smart, independent women some day who will be off making their own lives, and all I’ll have left are memories of giving them baths, tucking them in at night after a book, and teaching them my stupid, corny jokes.

So far, I have to say, being a father has been everything I had hoped for and more. My life feels complete in a way it never did before, and having such an amazing wife to share this experience with makes me, just about, the luckiest man on Earth. That being said, knowing that life goes on and that my kids will grow up and head out on their own journey adds a tinge of sadness to the whole thing sometimes.