When Bethany and I first came together, I was a full time single dad to two children already. They were in their teens and, quite frankly, I was looking forward to to having a life with adult children living on their own and Bethany and I being able to have the “freedom” a child free life affords.
When we started talking about having a kid together, I was initially hesitant to the idea. Mainly for that reason. I wanted to travel and eat at high-end restaurants and go to theater and museums and all the other things I’d been looking forward to once the nest was empty.
I (obviously) ultimately gave into the idea of having another child with Bethany under one condition; we’d still do all those things — but we’d do them with the kid.
This is how we’ve ended up with an 18 year old that has been places and had experiences by her age that few will have in their entire life…
She’s seen several Broadway productions with the original cast including Hamilton and Hadestown. She’s even met some of those cast members.
She’s been to many of the world’s top museums. She’s seen nearly every Vermeer and Picasso and Monet and Van Gogh. She’s imitated the sculptures at The Vigeland Park in Oslo and The Rodin Museum in Paris. She contemplated the work of Jackson Pollock at MOMA and Hilma af Klint at The Guggenheim.
She’s eaten in Michelin star restaurants. She’s eaten at an all plant-based one down an alley behind an unmarked door in East Germany. She’s had a private behind the scenes tour of The French Laundry and of their gardens across the street and had steak frites a table away from Thomas Keller at Bouchon in Yountville.
She’s been to many, many, many countries — at least one International trip every year of her life. She’s seen musicals on London’s West End and underground mechanical performance art in Berlin. She rode horses on the beaches of Costa Rica and hiked glaciers in Iceland. She’s been to the birthplace of humanity in Tanzania and the world’s smallest pub in Ireland. She’s walked in the footsteps of Plato in Greece. She’s blown bubbles off the top of the Eiffel Tower.
She’s been to big gay raves as an infant and mythical forest creature themed raves as a young adult. She’s watched Taylor Swift on the Era’s Tour and Bandits on The Run at The 7th Street Entry. She’s been to concerts at giant stadiums and house front porches. She’s sung karaoke at dive bars and lip-synced at drag shows.
Honestly, I’ve only just scratched the surface. To say this young lady has had a full life would be a gross understatement. That is exactly how we planned it.
In one month we will be going on what will perhaps be her most life-changing adventure to date — we will be getting in the car and driving half-way across the country to deliver her to college. While I’m sure she’ll still travel with us from time to time and continue to have amazing experiences with us there, I also know she will be making a new life full of amazing experiences without us. We’ve set the bar high but know she has it in her to take it even higher.
This young lady who has already lived a lifetime has new lifetimes of her own to live.
