Imagining

I was trying to explain to my brother yesterday how excited and anxious I am to meet our daughter. We're starting to organize her room--setting aside this space for a new person--and everyday her presence is becoming more and more realized. Lately, in just the past week, I've been trying hard to imagine holding her in my arms and connecting with her, learning her personality, absorbing everything she is. It's impossible to do right now, but I know my world will be flipped.

Yesterday I heard a sound bite in a commercial for a new show about "parenthood," and one of the characters (presumably a dad) said something super negative about having kids. It made me so mad! I wish I could remember the exact words. Maybe it had to do with giving up your personal life, or sleep, or whatever, but it was intended to be depressing. Granted, the show is fiction; part comedy; but it was something I could imagine some jaded, cynical asshole saying to scare some other expecting father, like a war story, to gain some sort of credit and back-patting. It sucked to hear because I am excited and ready for this to be the best thing ever. Is it worth hearing some bad news to expect the worst, while hoping for the best? I think it's more about attitude, shaped by optimism and love combined with a healthy mix of humor and altruism.