Keeping It In Perspective This Time Of Year

Liya & I Dancing at Natalie & Jonathan's Wedding

Happy Sunday Evening!  Usually, I write about running but tonight a little departure given the time of year. Here goes...

Blood curdling scream.  My eyes dart open. I look at my phone.  4:36a on Monday morning.  Liya is awake and crying with a more urgent tone than the typical middle of the night cry.  Sarah, as usual, offers to get up and try to get her back to sleep.  In our house, Sarah is the sleep genie.  I said, "no, it's my turn.  You always get up." And with that, I head downstairs.  

I walk into Liya's room and she is in full meltdown mode.  I enter the room and she yells my name, "Daddy."  I pick her up, kiss her forehead, give her a hug, and we sit still for a minute.  I try to lay her down with me on the couch in her room, but that results in the end to the cease cry.  Crying resumes and I quickly stand back up with her.  Crying stops.  Myles enters Liya's room to see what is a matter.  While he plays the role of "aloof big brother," I know he actually cares about her.  I say to Myles and Liya, "come on, let's go" as I gesture to the hallway.  We walk to the kitchen and let Myles out the backdoor to potty.  Lights are still off in the house, but the prettiest of full moons is illuminating the night sky.  Liya and I watch Myles from the kitchen window as he conducts his morning business. I'm tired and worn out from the early move-in from the day before.  However, as I'm holding Liya in my left arm and as I feel her "don't let me go grip" around that same arm, I am consumed with a feeling of joy despite wishing I was still asleep.  All I can think about is the parents that I watched drop off their first-year students just 15 hours earlier and how they must feel.  I bet any and all of them would have traded places with me just to have one more moment like I was having with Liya. And...as Myles approached the backdoor to be let in, I thought to myself "in 16 years I'll be looking out this window at 4:36a begging for this moment back.  We did not go back to sleep on that day, but we had a glorious morning of eating breakfast, watching Sophia the First, and just being together on a random early Monday morning in August.

Tomorrow beings move-in week for my team at IUPUI, and many of my friends and colleagues have already moved students in their buildings.  For Housing Professionals, this is the wackiest, zaniest, and most action packed time of the year.  Emotions are high.  Parents are quick to yell and lose their cool. It can be downright stressful.  This year, though, I am going to remember 4:36a last Monday and try to put myself in the parent's shoes who is dropping off their child to us.  Yes, for me that student that they are dropping off may be an 18 year old ready for college, but for them their student is that 20 month old that they comforted in the middle of the night all those years ago.  That is how they see their kid. And...I have to say I get it.  I did not used to get it, but now I do.  You see, I'll never be capable of seeing Liya as anything other than that beautiful, brown eyed 20 month-old that thinks her Mom and I hung the moon and are super humans.  Right now to her, we are it.  We are cool.  We are funny.  It's intoxicating.  I was telling the RA's the other day that every single day since she's been born I've woken up like a kid on their birthday.  It's amazing.  So, as I head into this week, 4:36a shall be my frame of reference and that will help me give my best to the students, parents, families and friends who we will welcome this week.

Thank you for taking time to read my blog.  I am coming off three consecutive days of running with Liya.  The Skillman Pack (Liya, Myles--yes he sits in the basket of the the stroller) even ran a 6:32 mile on Saturday.  We are getting faster.  Have a great week and do not forget to enjoy every second of it.