The kids' friends and boyfriends and girlfriends are such nice kids.

I have a PT side-gig now, so I'm working today from home. The kids will be around with their friends today and I'll have to feed them all again.

Another friend of mine teaches shop at the local high school. His garage is full of old dirt bikes for shop projects for the kids. He used to race but got smashed up quite badly about 15 years ago in a car accident.

Monday after work we are meeting up with him for my daughter's dirt bike lessons. The payment? A gas card, and I'll bring pizza for us and his family for dinner.

My oldest has this old clapped-out 4x4 that we did a TON of work on last summer. He and his GF made the 6 hour drive to visit my parents and brother a couple of weeks ago in the old truck. He said, "Got it up to 75, it was steady as a rock, and kept it there for the next 5.5 hours" They were there, roaming the farm and touring the area for 5 days. His GF is a sweet kid who jumped right into everything.

My son's best friend since kindergarten is now self-employed with a lawn care business. I called a retired instructor from the local community college, and I'm getting this kid and my son some instruction on running compact excavators and training on towing a commercial trailer behind his pick-up trucks.

I'm feeling really positive today. I keep missing my wife. I wish she could have seen how good this all could be. I wish I had a partner. I'm going through periods of loneliness sometimes now.

I know this sounds stupid.... But I thought these things.... Being involved with the kids, being a pretty good cook, being handy enough to look after home and cars, and being able to call on friends when it was something I didn't know..... I thought those things made you attractive to your partner.

Last night, I kept thinking, "Why couldn't she see how good this all is?"

RDMercer