Caution: Don't Blink

I was at a conference over 15 years ago and the speaker warned his audience about the unpredictable consequences of blinking. One day, while he was taking his daughter to her first day of school, he blinked. The next minute, he was walking down the aisle giving his daughter away.

I took his advise seriously. After our daughter Tess was born, I've successfully resisted every urge to blink. Until today, when without warning (it must have been the pollen from this particularly wet spring), I blinked. Suddenly she's graduating high school! What happened? I can barely recall the first step, the first word, the first bike ride, the first day of school, the first band concert, the first game, the first date (let's skip that one), the first dance, the first drive. I was hoping for more giggles, more picnics, more walks, more deep conversations, more fall-on-the-floor laughing, more reading her crazy good writing, more gawking at her art, more soaking in her awesome smile, more bursting with pride at all she does.

I don't appreciate this warp speed time machine. It has gone way too fast - the science fair project, the Halloween costumes, the diaper changes, the soccer coaching, the runny noses, the softball tournaments, the birthdays, the basketball practices, the school dances, the hitting lessons, the driving lessons, the vacations, the volleyball games, the Christmas mornings, the report cards, the track meets, the high school finals, the ice cream cones, the movies, the sleepovers, the goodnight kisses.

Well, I just wanted to warn all you other guys out there. Don't let the spring mold spores or the dust bunnies or the tear jerker movie your wife made you watch cause you to let those lids wipe over those eyeballs. Just not worth the risk.

Now, if you will excuse me, I need to make the most of the time before I find myself walking down the aisle with my daughter at my side!