Hey Little Man…
Life is a funny thing in so many ways. You have barely started yours, and yet you’ve changed mine and your mother’s in so many ways. You should have seen your home before we found out you were coming. I can only imagine how much more you’ll change our lives now that you’re here.
Life flies by when you’re looking back at it, and it stands still when you look ahead. When you’re older, ask you mom about how quickly the last week of her pregnancy felt with you. The important thing is that you enjoy it, laugh through it, try as many things as you can, and find the things that make you happy.
Fall in love with the things you like. Be the best at them. Know more than the next kid about it and measure yourself only against yourself. What might exhaust you early on will pay off exponentially down the road.
The best thing I have done with my life has been to enjoy as much of it as I could. There have been things that caused me stress, but I always tried to see the bigger picture. It’s my way of turning a negative into a positive. People like the guy who isn’t afraid to be himself, and I hope that you are always comfortable enough with who you are that you can be yourself at all times. Enjoy who you are and what you do, and you will live your best life.
Take an active role in your life. I think if I would have heard this when I was younger, I would have shrugged it off, but the older I get the more I wish I would have learned this sooner. What it means is that you shouldn’t just let life happen. When I was younger, all I wanted to do was play baseball. I was good at it too, but I never worked harder than I needed to. I didn’t try to get better, I just used what talent I had and hoped that it would lead to something. Spoiler alert: it didn’t.
Life is about connection. Connection within yourself is the most important, but connection with others — friends, family — is also a key part of life. We are entering an age (and I’m sure by the time you read this there will already have been something else) where we are in constant connection with strangers from all over the world through the web. Be careful and for god’s sake be safe, but don’t be afraid to connect with people and show them who you are. Make someone’s day by listening, learning, and teaching them what you’ve learned along your journey.
I cannot wait to get to know you and share the next chapter of my life with you and your mother. I cannot wait to learn from you and teach you things, or to show you the things I love and force you to be a Lions fan with me.
2-19-18
From Ryan to Reagan and Koen 