Welp, I just said my goodbye to Thing One after moving her into her freshman dorm at University of Oregon. I gave her the longest hug I’ve given her in a while, and she squeezed me back the whole time. I told her, “You make me so happy, and I know you’re going to do great.”
I feel a little awful, but mostly happy. In the end, I’ve had little to do with how awesome she’s become, but I like to think I’ve been a pretty good dad to her, and am grateful for how resilient she’s been after her parents divorced shortly before she started high school. I know she’ll continue to amaze me.
Now, I’m sitting alone at the Wild Duck Cafe, a local UO joint across from the basketball arena, having the first of a few beers that will be part mourning, part celebratory. I’ll probably end the day at what has become my favorite brewery in Eugene, and will wake up before dawn tomorrow, shake off the cobwebs and fly back home, landing in the middle of what I hope to be a Longhorn ass-whipping of Mississippi State, with a heart full of love.