The 20’s Last Stand

Today I turned 29. I’ve just entered the last year of my twenties. Talk about a blur…most days I still feel like I’m twelve.

My dad called to wish me a happy birthday. He said that he still remembers the day I was born 29 years ago like it was yesterday. It was one of the best days of his whole life. That’s a good way to start a day; when someone tells you that the day you were born was one of the best days of their whole life. In all fairness, the reason that day in particular probably stands out so much is because I had colic when I was a baby, so most of the days that followed didn’t even stand a chance.

My dad also expressed that he knew a day like that would be coming soon for me and Kim. (I don’t know – is that a subtle attempt for Kim and I to ramp up production?)

I want to be a dad in the worst way. Right now this whole “Kim & Jason thing” takes up a lot of time, and until it reaches a certain level of stability, my patience (and my parent’s patience) in that area will be tested. Kim and I both want her to be a stay-at-home Mom, which means this “Kim & Jason thing” needs to consistently pay the bills.

Now, I know that my parents do fully support Kim and I, so I know his comment was not a veiled suggestion but rather an encouraging premonition. I know this because I feel it, too. I look ahead to next year, when I’ll be saying goodbye to my twenties and embracing my thirties, and I just KNOW that things will be a whole lot different. I can feel the momentum building. We’re about to really turn the corner on things, and it won’t be long before the years of all the hard work on this “Kim & Jason thing” will pay off. I’ll finally be able to prove the age-old credo that says, “Do what you love and the money will follow.”

I am doing what I love. Entertaining people through the comic strip. Inspiring them through our products. And encouraging them through my speaking presentations. That love for what I’m doing has enabled me to wait patiently for God to deliver me a family on His timeline. There is a time for everything, and the time for me to be up to my eyeballs in dirty diapers and G-rated movies will come soon enough.

But for now, I am excited to make 29 the best year of my twenties (with an honorable mention going to 21) and imagining all of the cool things I’ll be writing about when I turn thirty…365 days from now.