My nephrologist called me noble today.

I try not to be confrontational. If you talk about how much you love a movie that I hated, you won't hear a negative peep out of me. Now, if you ask me for my opinion about it, I won't lie...but I'll soft-pedal it. Because (see above) I see no need to be confrontational, and I am not a proselytizer. 

Same goes for when well-intentioned people say things which I find insulting. If it's coming from a good heart, I will not balk. 

I am the father of three children, two of whom are autistic. They all (3, that is) are my number one priority in life. That has caused me a lot of trouble in my personal life, at minimum contributing to the upending of two marriages and several other long term relationships. Which hurts...a lot...but fuck it, man, the kids come first. They didn't ask for this life, and as 50% of the reason they were thrown into it, I am responsible for and to them. I retired from teaching four years too early, which chopped my pension down quite a bit...and left me without a job which I truly loved. But my kids needed me, and guess what? They come first. So I retired early.

Etcetera. Because I'm a father. And fathers take care of their kids. Well, GOOD fathers, anyway. And I strive to be a good father.

It seems pretty simple to me.

But people who know me have told me that they admire me, that what I'm doing is extraordinary... and several have told me that I was a 😇SAINT😇.

And today my nephrologist told me that I was noble. Because I take care of my kids to the best of my ability.

Well, all of that's nice, of course. And I know it comes from good hearts with good intentions.  But I think it's important to point out that it's total bullshit.

My kids aren't a burden. They're the center of my life, the heart of my joy, my raison d'être. Do you praise a man for eating or for breathing? Do you praise a man for not being an asshole? Then don't tell me I'm noble or a saint because I stand by my kids. To praise that makes it seem like something extraordinary, and it should be normal behavior.

It should be what's fucking exPECTed.

P.S. In case you're wondering, the kidneys are doing better, thank you.