FATHERHOOD FRIDAY

So I took a trip to Philly for business that turned out being pretty successful (thank u Jesus). I was donned in my grey Alfani two button suit and these nice black Stacey Adams shoes. I wore a white bcbg dress shirt with pink and purple subtle stripes and a navy blue diagonally striped (pink) necktie by Express design studios. Needless to say I felt, well, dapper. Not pimp dapper, (I don't take that term pimp as lightly as most I am close to loathing it) but business dapper. So after successful business dealings I went to pick up my son from school. There's nothing that compares to seeing your child overjoyed to see you. It's more than flattering, it feels awesome.

As we made the journey back to center city to take the Chinatown bus back to NYC I saw a young brotha trying to holla at a young lady on the train. I love silently coaching/observing these ordeals from a distance. I critique the miscues and toy with the perceptible shifts in energy, comfort, perspective. Anyway after the young bruh gave her his number he started to seek my approval...asking me if it was quick enough or what have you. After seeing that I approved he asked me: "have you ever seen the pursuit of happiness?" (yes). "y'all remind me of that.". Whoa. What a compliment! Will Smith, Pursuit of happiness? I was floored.

Fatherhood Friday is a time for us to reflect on what it means to be fathers of various contexts. I'm challenging you all to become students of life and, at times, allow your kids to school you. There's a purity that is present in them that we shouldn't envy but seek to harness. Kids don't get as excited over race as they get over age, or spiderman/Dora. They want to meet each other, talk and be liked. Not necessarily for what they do or where they're from, but because they're kids and what better thing is there than the possibility of meeting other kids and having some fun.

As a NYer raised by a family with southern hospitalistic (yup made that word up!) tendencies like greeting strangers, and please and thank yous I find it hard to understand why we're so standoffish and publically reclusive. Not just fathers but NYC can learn from my son and the little Asian boy who saw him today. They were happy to see another kid. Their parents wouldn't dare speak on any other terms but for te sake of childhood they connected, if only for a moment. Connect with someone.

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