Cheer up, Dad.

I know.

You don't want to.

You're tired. Your kids aren't listening. You haven't had a minute alone since approximately 2017. Someone needs a ride somewhere and someone else has apparently lost a shoe that was on their foot 30 seconds ago.

And you were hoping for a little more time to yourself.

I get it.

This is hard.

Do me a favormake sure you shirt is not inside out since you got dressed in the dark.

Your kid is probably not the world's best listener.

And you probably said something this week that you immediately wished you could take back.

Good news:

We're pressing on.

That's the job.

Go to the next thing.

Get a coffee.

Take a walk.

Come back.

Step back into the batter's box. Remember Teddy Roosevelt’s “Man in the Arena”?

The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds;

This is you Dad, you are in the arena trying to do the hard thing. You will win you will lose but in the end the outcome is not all that matters, your efforts, your time, your presence matter big time.

Just keep showing up.

Cook This: No Bake Strawberry Pretzel Crunch Bars

Maybe you see this recipe and you’re like yeah right or no thanks. This is this the point dad. You need to have some tricks up your sleeve, you can’t be Mr. Predictable with the cookies that almost taste like cookies but are actually chickpeas, they are onto you. All you need is a food processor and no baking. Just these a try and let them crush the pretzels at least.

Recipe here: Strawberry Pretzel Crunch Bars

This week's Dad Fun is mandatory.

Watch Stutz.

It is back to school and this is homework.

It's a documentary about Jonah Hill talking with his therapist, Phil Stutz, about the tools he uses to deal with life.

And Dad, you need tools.

Because apparently “ignore it and hope it goes away” isn't technically a therapeutic strategy.

Pay particular attention to The Grateful Flow.

It's about deliberately finding things you're grateful for when your brain is busy telling you everything is terrible.

Give it a shot.

Your brain is dramatic.

It could use some supervision.

When everything feels like a dumpster fire, stop and name a few things you're grateful for.

Nothing profound.

Coffee, Your kid's laugh, A good song, The dog, A sunny day.

Keep going.

The point isn't to convince yourself that everything is awesome.

It's not.

The point is to remember that everything isn't terrible either.

Because yes:

This is hard.

I’d rather do anything else than empty the dishwasher.

Your kid isn't listening.

You're tired.

And you have no idea what's for dinner.

Start listing the things outloud or to yourself that keep you going and get you out of bed. Name 3, name 6, name 9. They are all around us if we pick our heads up and notice.

This newsletter is not professional in nature but intended to be real things to try. They won’t all work but this is a process and I’d love for you to join me on the way. Thanks for reading and we hope to see you next week.

Send me a note or your best dad joke @ [email protected]