How #regulardad was Created
In the summer of 2018, I was wasting time scrolling through Instagram and something pushed me over the edge. I was getting down on myself because I wasn’t eating brunch at some swanky brunch place in downtown Milwaukee or taking the time to book my next tropical vacation or taking a quick jaunt down to Chicago to eat at a rooftop restaurant and bar while planning to catch a jazz show later in the evening. I was just a regular dude, dad, husband, sitting in my chair on a Saturday while my family was getting ready to do a regular thing on a regular weekend day. Something snapped and I swiped right.
Yeah, I know, a tongue-in-cheek post that could have come off as a snarky complaint about my current station in life; however, TWO PEOPLE replied and that was enough for me. What followed was an opportunity to shed a comedic light on the regular things that made up my life. What I didn’t expect was how being regular can actually cause me to grow in ways I couldn’t have planned for.
The #regulardad Lesson
My definition of #regulardad is constantly evolving. Currently it means being present but still making sure to be unpredictable once in a while.
Simply being present exposes you to situations that cause you to evolve in order to meet the needs of the situation and, while you might not have to come up with a split-second lesson about manners when your kid comes home to tell you that their fart severely disrupted 1st grade math, I’m sure you’ve been in situations where you’d had to think on your feet to get through something only to be better prepared for when “that thing” happens again.
How does Practical Pragmatism relate to being a #regular?
Most of the time it’s pragmatic and practical to be #regular. Being this way creates a stable and predictable environment where you can live comfortably. In my opinion, it’s not practical or pragmatic to stay in a single station your entire life. You need to use impractical and/or unreasonable thoughts, when logic and reason and schedule and routine (your current definition of #regular) are thrown out, in order to set your sights on a new and unrealistic goal. It’s in these moments that you redefine what’s practical and pragmatic and evolve into your new definition of #regular.
P.S. – After doing a final edit on this post, I can see how one with a proclivity to argue will immediately move to a “who’s on first” kind of conversation. That’s the beauty of the name Practical Pragmatism and I’m excited for what’s next!