To my worthless wife, who accomplishes nothing during the day…

To my worthless wife who accomplishes nothing during the day…

You don’t understand why you are so exhausted at the end of the day because nothing on your list was checked off.  You feel bad because the dinner was spaghetti again and some of the clothes never made it from the washer to the dryer.  While bathing our daughter, I notice she still has some jelly in her hair that you missed from this morning’s breakfast.  The couch cushions are still on the floor despite picking them up four or five times.  Your hair has been up in a ponytail for two days and you are wearing the same shirt you put on yesterday, despite the snot stains on the shoulders.  You feel “worthless” you say?? 

Let me just stop you right there.  You are exhausted because you have given all you have to our family despite what life threw at you today.  Your spaghetti is the best dadgum spaghetti I have ever had because of the effort you took to make it.  Who doesn’t like wearing socks that are still a little wet?  Not only do they keep my feet cool, but it reminds me that someone washed them for me in the first place.  The jelly in the hair washes right out, and I am glad the cushion is still on the floor so I have something to lay my head on when I come home and play with the kids.  And lastly, the snot stained shirt with a pony tail just happens to be one of my favorite looks for you.  So sexy!!

What you do for me and our family every day is irreplaceable.  You may feel like nothing went quite right, but you are the one that makes our house a home.  You are the one that holds our crazy lives together.  I may be exhausted from work when I come home, but don’t think for a second that your sacrifice goes unnoticed or is underappreciated.  I know you have worked just as hard, if not harder, than anything I had to do today.  If there was a “woman of the year award”, you would be the hands down winner every day.

You see, honey, it isn’t WHAT we come home to that means the most to us husbands, it’s WHO we come home too.  When I walk in that door and see your smile, it makes my whole world ok.  When I see the kids running up, full of excitement, to give me a hug, I know that YOU put that excitement in their head.  There is only one person that could fill the role as “mom” in our house, and you are it.  You overachieve despite being overwhelmed.  You are outstanding despite being outnumbered.  And you will always complete me despite being completely exhausted.  I try to tell you “thank you” as much as I can, but just know I tell God “thank you” every day for putting you in my life.

Signed,

Your undeserving husband, who would accomplish nothing without you.

A good laptop bag?

After many years, and a countless number of meeting rooms, airplanes, hotels and rental cars, I am officially announcing the retirement of my trusty laptop bag.  I make this announcement with mixed emotions.  On one hand, I embrace the opportunity to introduce a new companion along my professional journey.  On the other, I am losing a reliable resource that has literally hung by my side through thick and thin.  Well maybe the more accurate way to say it is “through thick and thin and thick again.”  (I lost 40 lbs several years ago, but unfortunately 20 lbs of it were found again.)  Regardless, my companion has been present for many of the successes and failures of my career and personal life.

I remember the first day we met.  I was going through a fresh transition of personal discovery that led me to decide between the backpack and classic shoulder bag.  The backpack I owned previously provided me the freedom to ride motorcycles, climb mountains, and confidently carry both my coffee and my doughnut without fear of impediment.  But it lacked the accessibility when I needed to rapidly access a critical document in transit or an occasional candy bar (the cause of the 20 lb weight gain).  The decision was made.  The classic bag would allow me to rapidly retrieve these items without removal of the bag’s position, while also maintaining a certain professional look when trying to impress potential clients. At that moment, “Sam” and I were introduced.  I call my bag Sam in order to eliminate any direct references to a brand name.  If you are curious about which brand has served me well over so many years, you can shop your local office supply retailer or ask Lloyd Christmas what Mary’s last name was when searching for her in Aspen.  Needless to say, it was destiny and we began our journey together.

Selecting a laptop bag is like selecting a car.  Or for men, it ranks closely to wallet selection.  The margin of error is extremely slim.  My selection criteria is weighted by 80% functionality, 10% aesthetics, and 10% coffee resistant.  Sam met these needs incredibly.  Tom Hanks had his “Wilson”.  I had Sam.  Now that he is going into retirement, a questionable void must be filled.  The replacement will have to be as strong, resilient, and determined as Sam.  And he must be ready to face new challenges that life with me throws at him. 

Truth is, Sam’s life closely mirrors my own.  In times I have felt worn out, roughed up, tossed around, and neglected.  But just like Sam, someone is depending on me just as I depended on him.  Someone is expecting me to show up, perform to the best of my abilities and weather the storms by their side.  I may fail, fall down, or get lost.  But I will carry the greatest load I can for that person until I burst at the seams.  So when the day comes that I hang up my straps, I will do so knowing that I gave them my all.  That I did my best to help them succeed.  This is the legacy and the lesson that Sam has left me.  The real question is, whose Sam are you?  Whether it is your spouse, your children, your employer or your community, be the one that carries the load.  Be the one that others can depend on.  Be the one that someone can’t do without.  And if you are lucky enough, you may be holding your very own candy bar.

--Jason Dickard