Tales of Wonder

Dave Smith wonder-husband here. She who must be obeyed is recovering from the slingshot effects of her latest concoction, the Singapore Sling. But from her debilitated state, lying lifeless on the sofa she was able to utter the words, “I have idea! You post my blog entry for the day.”

Every once in awhile I think of something fun and edifying I could post in a blog, but then I end up spending the time searching for the perfect open source content management system. See that’s where me and SWMBO differ. She’s all about content and making stuff look nice. I like how things get stored in the database and passed through the framework to be displayed on the page. She just wants stuff to work. Psh! Whatever!

I turn 38 tomorrow; that’s about 500 in computer years. Thirty eight! That’s just two years away from 40. I know some of you are closer than I and for some of you it’s long past the horizon in your rear view mirror. But it seems so odd to be at 40 minus 2. Does anyone actually feel their age? I look down at myself and yes it’s a little flabbier, a little paunchier, but inside I feel mid-twenties. How can I be this close to 40?

I’ve never had a lot of goals in my life. I’ve been quite content to share in SWMBO’s goals. In a way not setting those goals makes it easier to be here. If you have no expectations, you can’t really be disappointed, can you? My best friend from college wanted to make a million dollars by the age of 30 and I think he made it. Another friend wanted to run a marathon and he did it. Another rides his bicycle around Mt. Rainier in a day and another is preparing to take over the family business. My ambition doesn’t work that way.

I move day to day living in the moment. I come to a weekend and I forget all the projects I’m supposed to be doing. I look forward to the next delivery from Netflix and folding the laundry into mysterious stacks. I love technology. I love tinkering on Linux machines and getting an old machine to run some new piece of software. Most of all I love my family. They are my joy. I can forgo the trappings of the elite if it means making pancakes and sausage for my boys, or giving SWMBO some time to write or read. My lack of planning frustrates her, but my idle presence is there and available to her. While I am not moving and making things happen, I am here where God wants me to be, serving the family I love.

This entry was posted on Tuesday, November 13th, 2007 at 10:13 PM and is filed under Dave Smith: Wonder Husband. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.