📕 DAD WISDOM

Play the Next Play

Talked to a number of dads last week who were going through it. We were in it too.

Sickness bouncing around the house, car issues, kid drama, work stress. Nothing particularly unique, just one of those stretches where everything seems to need your attention at the same time.

And when you’re in it, telling yourself to stay positive only gets you so far.

So catching some of the Nick Saban documentary the other night felt timely. Long before he was a legend, he was trying to figure out his own process for handling pressure, and one of the ideas he kept coming back to was:

Play the next play.

That’s about as simple as it gets.

Whatever happened five minutes ago already happened. And whatever might happen Thursday probably doesn’t need to be solved Tuesday morning.

What needs you now? Handle that. Then move on.

There are weeks in dad life where looking too far ahead just makes the whole thing feel heavier.

Sometimes you’ve just gotta play the next play.

SMALL TALK

A couple random facts you probably don’t need to know… but might come in handy the next time you're standing around at a kid’s birthday party making awkward conversation with another dad you barely know.

The first TV remote was connected to the television by a wire. Zenith introduced the “Lazy Bones” in 1950, allowing people to change channels without getting off the couch. Five years later, the company introduced a wireless version.
A child's height at age 2 can give you a rough idea of their adult height. An old pediatric rule of thumb is to double a boy's height at age 2 or a girl's height at 18 months. It's far from foolproof, but it's a fun little experiment.
Ever wonder why Notre Dame plays Navy every year? During WWII, Notre Dame was in serious financial trouble as students left for military service. The Navy stepped in, established officer training programs on campus, and helped keep the university from closing. As a thank-you, Notre Dame promised to keep Navy on its football schedule for as long as Navy wanted. They've been playing since 1927, but the story behind why they keep playing is pretty cool.

DAD GEAR

Mack Weldon ACE Overshirt

With Mack Weldon

This thing hits the sweet spot between a shirt and a light jacket. The ACE Overshirt is soft as hell, easy to layer, and has enough structure that you don’t look like you just threw on another sweatshirt. One of those pieces you’ll probably reach for way more than you expect.

[ Get it here ]

❝

🛒 WHAT ELSE WE’RE ADDING TO CART

Woom Kids Bikes (site-wide sale)
Seager Flapjacket Hat
Purewell 3-Stage Ultra-Filtration Gravity Water Filter System (22% off)

DAD BOD

Lock In

Season 1 Thinking GIF by The Big Bang Theory

If your brain feels like it has 14 tabs open, try these three:

Pick one thing. Research shows we’re more likely to follow through when we decide ahead of time exactly what we’re doing and when.
Put the phone somewhere else. Not face down. Not on silent. Actually somewhere else.
Work for a bit, then get up. A short break can help reset your attention before you start drifting.

Pretty simple, but probably worth trying the next time you sit down to get something done.