It’s hard knowing what to do when things don’t go as planned. While I try to “live in the moment,” I like it when the expectations for that moment are clearly defined and things progress accordingly.
That is not what happened with my daughter’s birth.
One of the most popular columns I’ve written was published less than 48 hours before my daughter’s birth and laid out my expectations of how things would go.
A copy of that column titled ‘Is it rude to bring noise-canceling headphones to my daughter’s birth?” was featured this week on Sammiches and Psych Meds, a leading parenting humor website. (Additionally, an audio version is also available in episode four of The Uncommon Discourse podcast).
I shared the reality of what happened with my daughter’s birth during the first-ever Great Hartford Story Slam, where I won first place.
The audio of that story was made available this week as part of my appearance on the popular Speak Up Storytelling podcast.
Instead of my normal column this week, I’m asking readers to visit these sites for two very different pieces from me that, when taken together, reveal a story of expectation and reality.
Humor mixed with heart.
While becoming a father for the first time is a once-in-a-lifetime event, expectations confront reality all the time so my hope is that everyone can relate.
Perhaps the food delivered to your table isn’t quite what you were expecting, a job you took ends up being far more frivolous than you anticipated, or drinks with an old friend turns into a gripe session instead of a fun night out.
It’s an honor to be featured on both of these sites and a great chance to introduce myself to their audience and you to them.
I’m very proud of both and hope you’ll give the channels some love by clicking on the links below:
Expectation
Is it Rude to Bring Noise-Canceling Headphones to my Child’s Birth on Sammiches and Psych Meds.
Reality
Episode 72 of the Speak Up Storytelling Podcast.
If you enjoy my humor writing, please subscribe below.
If you want to syndicate this column, you may contact me here to discuss the details.
You may notice that I’ve disabled commenting on this post. I’d love to hear your thoughts by email at [email protected].
Check out The Uncommon Discourse Podcast, where acclaimed storyteller Chris Gaffney reads and discusses ten of his most popular humor columns.
Each episode is under ten minutes long and features Chris reading a favorite article along with a brief description of why the article means so much to him.
Find Season 01 on iTunes, Stitcher, TuneIn.com, or stream/download episodes here: https://uncommondiscourse.com/podcast.