Hello! I’m coming to you from the buzzing city of Chicago, Illinois. First, I’d like to apologize for not posting anything last week, as things were a bit hectic. I’ve been home in Chicago for a few days now and to say it has been eventful would be an understatement. I’ve been working, meeting babies and watching the Chicago Cubs do what we’ve been waiting on for a long, long time: Win!
Anyway, I feel like I should call this “My Diary” since I simply write about what’s on my mind. So, welcome to “My Diary” (So not original, I know). So here’s the deal: I’m staying at my sister’s house and it’s currently midnight. I’m at the kitchen table with my headphones on and I just polished off a cup of coffee. I wish I could take back the coffee portion, but I’m fully committed now. All I want to do is sing this damn song, but I know the people sleeping upstairs wouldn’t appreciate it like my co-workers do back in California.
So, there are plenty of current events I could touch on: politics, sports, tragedy, etc. I could even talk about the conversation I had this past weekend with my family — during a birthday party — about gun control in schools. Or, maybe I should write about Bernie Sanders? Nah, we can save all of those topics for another time — I’m sure my opinion on those things don’t matter to many. Instead, I’m going to tell you about a big responsibility that I have coming up. Something many of you can relate to. Not too long ago my sister and brother-in-law surprised me with some fantastic news: I’m going to be an Uncle!
My relationship with my sister and brother-in-law is pretty simple; they’re my best friends. My sister actually met Ryan, her husband, through me a long time ago. They even let me live with them for a brief period of time when I was transitioning to a new city. Long story short, this baby is going to be extra special to me. Selfishly, this whole time I’ve been hoping to have a little nephew I can turn into a future Chicago Cub. I’d say the amount of children’s toys and clothes I’ve searched over the last weeks is unhealthy. I have a ridiculous amount of items saved in my Amazon cart for a little boy. There is no doubt in my mind that they’re going to have a boy and I’m going to spoil that little guy like no one has ever spoiled a kid before.
At this point, you’ve probably gathered that the sex of the baby has yet to be revealed, but I always trust my gut. Mentally, I am set on having a nephew. I’ve always told my mom I want to have nine boys so I can field a whole baseball team. Since I don’t have any kids, my future nephew can be the start of that baseball team. I sound insane, I know.
Anyway, fast forward to this past Saturday. My sister set up a surprise birthday party for my brother-in-law, which brought family in town from all across the country. Since a surprise party wasn’t enough, after telling us the baby was uncooperative at the last ultrasound, my sister had another surprise at the party. Yup, the gender reveal was going to happen. At the time, my sister still didn’t know the gender either. I don’t really know how to explain this big piñata looking thing hanging from the ceiling, but that thing would release pink or blue confetti, thus announcing the child’s gender. I was not ready for this and I don’t think anyone was. Regardless, we were all excited.
So, as my sister and brother-in-law stood there waiting to pull the string to reveal the confetti, I was having a mild panic attack in anticipation — not good. I felt like I was at a ‘Bachelor’ rose ceremony and there was only one rose remaining. I had no clue how I was going to react. I literally imagined the blue confetti coming out and me tackling my brother-in-law through the window in excitement. But then I started thinking, “Holy crap, what if it’s a girl?” I’m not mentally prepared for a girl. Am I going to be upset if pink confetti comes out of this thing? No more time to ponder. Let’s do this. Pull the string already. Drum-roll please. String pulled. You guessed it — pink confetti everywhere!!!
For a split second, I didn’t know what to do. I paused. I looked at my sister and brother-in-law and saw absolute joy pouring from their faces. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them that elated and I immediately felt that same joy. I’m going to have a niece! I thought to myself, “This is the best day ever!” I went and hugged them both and my brother-in-law said to me, “When we get home we have to strategize the next 18 years of this girl’s life.” Naturally, I’m already thinking about how I’m going to be protecting this girl for rest of her life. I hope she’s ready for Uncle Chris to keep all the boys away from her!
Here’s what I’m getting at: I admittedly have been a selfish person in my day. But as I grow older, I also grow wiser. There is nothing in the world that makes me more happy than seeing my family and loved ones happy. I’m going to be the best dang uncle I can possibly be to that little girl. These little moments that go unnoticed to the masses are the moments in life that bring the most joy. No publicity, money or amount of social media support could bring the happiness that I felt when I saw my sister overwhelmed with joy.
It’s incredible how your perception of life evolves as you get older. Your life takes a backseat when someone new is going to enter your family. The things we sweat every day no longer carry the importance they once did. Now, it’s about making sure someone else has the best life possible. I relish this opportunity to be an uncle. There is no better feeling. At the end of the day, this is going to make me a better person and what an amazing feeling it is.
Thanks for reading my BS.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask me by filling out the form below.
Be sure to check back next week for more of Chris’ answers right here on RantNOW.
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