Of all the columns I've written over the years, the ones that usually elicit the most feedback are the stories about my children. It's an easy one for me. I like to play the part of the proud father boasting about some recent accomplishment or reflecting on a life milestone for one of my daughters.
So, as I wrap up my current columnist tenure with The Hinsdalean, I thought it would be appropriate to go back to what I do best. Bragging about my kids! The problem is, I'm not sure which one to highlight.
There's my oldest, Anna. Prior to getting married last summer, Anna went on quite the wild journey on the way to fulfilling her dream of becoming a high school teacher. Despite being what I would consider a bit of a homebody, when the opportunity came along to get her master's degree, Anna forced herself to leave her comfort zone and spent two years in Sacramento, Calif., living with five strangers and teaching at an underserved inner-city school. A pretty impressive way to start your adulthood, if you ask me.
And then there's my second, Katie. Katie is definitely my middle child! But she is also my trailblazer. Honestly, most of the things Katie did over the years that gave me my gray hair are the exact same things I wish I was bold enough to do myself. And when Katie sets a goal, she does everything within her power to achieve it. Go to college on the East Coast? Done. Save money after graduation and move to New York? Done. A big part of me can't wait for her to move back home to Hinsdale. The other part of me wants to drop everything and join her in NYC.
Finally, there's my youngest, Caroline. The past several years presented a multitude of obstacles for Caroline. But instead of whining or giving up, she faced everything life threw at her head-on. It wasn't easy and not without a few dispirited phone calls home. Yet despite that adversity, she finished college a semester early and is already fully employed and supporting herself. Put simply, Caroline is one of the strongest people I know. And once she fully realizes that, watch out world.
So you can understand my conundrum. Which kid should it be? Unfortunately, I've blathered so much, I've run out of space to write about any of them. I guess I'll have to save it for another time.
As for you, there's no way to express how much I appreciate your reading my words. Often silly, sometimes poignant, most of the time sarcastic and pointless. But if you made it this far, I guess I'm doing something right.
Thanks for reading, Hinsdale. Until next time.
- John Bourjaily of Golfview Hills is a contributing columnist. Readers can email him at [email protected].
