The Walking Dead

Scenes like this just look better on TV.

Someone just needs to say it. As non-parents, we sometimes feel like we're surrounded by zombies. And not the get-up-and-run-after-you kind. No, it's usually the moaning, shuffling variety that we're confronted by. I won't go into anymore details just in case I run the risk of turning into the moaning sort myself.

On the other hand, I found myself incredibly and pleasantly surprised today by my friends. Maybe even a little inspired. These friends of mine (who I should probably add are a couple) have been some of the most adventurous jetsetters we know. So I was a little nervous to find out that they were expecting a kid. From what parents tell me, the words "adventure" and "children" don't usually sit well together.

We finally caught up with them after several months of them settling into parenthood (I'm really fast-forwarding the story here) and were surprised to find out that they were taking a trip to Christchurch pretty soon. On further conversation, we found out that this was a "practice trip" for them taking their kid on a series of flights around the world. 

"Wow," I said, mostly to Chad. "That's like what we want to do." For the first time in my life, I found myself admiring parents for more than just how much they could get done on so little sleep. For the first time, I was an outsider looking in. And I liked it. It gave me hope - hope for a new breed of parents who don't have to look like the walking dead; who look and feel healthy; who are both a 100% parent and a 100% human. 

I came away feeling so happy for my friends. And feeling genuinely happy for someone else is just about as good as feeling happy for yourself.