Happy Anniversary!

I'm sure I don't have to tell you (obviously I'm not sure of that or I wouldn't be writing this post) that, as of Sunday, Transformer Generation Dad is one year old. This is cause for celebration. I honestly never thought I'd keep this blog going for a full year, but 307 posts later, I'm still writing on a near daily basis.

Thank you to all who have been stopping by to read. It certainly isn't the most heavily read blog out there, but I'm proud to be able to look at the stats at see that we have a steady and loyal readership. I know I thank you for reading all the time, but I hope you know I mean it.

I'm reminded of several times in my life when the weight of moments whose significance I had underestimated hit me:

During my college graduation ceremony, I just wanted to be done with school, but as I realized what was happening, pride welled up inside me. I felt ten feet tall suddenly while walking up to get my diploma, which normally would have caused me to feel very self-conscious like everyone was staring at me, but it was a good feeling this time.

When my first son was born I expected to be moved, but the enormous swell of emotions and instant bond I had with him was infinitely more than I expected and it repeated itself just as strongly with my second son. When each of them developed the ability to actually call me dad, a whole new wave of love and connection came too.

I had always thought of age as a number, but on the eve of my thirtieth birthday, I felt myself overwhelmed with panic. The dread of getting older snuck up behind me. Similarly a week or so later when my wife threw me a surprise party and I saw people there I hadn't seen in years, I was touched by how many people were willing to come out and party on my behalf.

Reaching the one year milestone of this blog comes nowhere close to comparing with any of those moments. It just reminds me of them. Hey, at least I'm honest.

But in all seriousness, I do find myself walking around with my head held a bit higher. I consider myself having passed a threshold into legitimacy that only doing something for a full year allows.

I encourage you to scroll down the left hand column and check out the blog archives. In particular, I recommend the third person posts from the Posts in a Nutshell section and some of the selections from The Hit List which are the most read posts of all time here. For those who weren't with us from the beginning and even for those who were, I thought it might be interesting to read the very first post here. It serves as a sort of mission statement for Transformer Generation Dad and I think its sentiments still ring true.

So, again, I extend to you all my most heartfelt thanks on taking any time out of your life to stop by here and read TGD. I can only hope it's enhanced your days in the slightest way. A special thanks goes out to my sons for providing me with so much inspiration and to my wife for so often editing the drivel that I type out and helping me shape it into something meaningful.

Here's to another great year ahead.