My name is Jevin Branion.  I’m a husband, a father of two little girls, and an adventurous introvert.

I recently found a couple of journal entries buried in an old word document from November of 2001.  I had just moved to Winter Park, CO to work the ski lifts.  It was the beginning of one of the best winters of my single life.  I remember wanting to document everything that happened that winter, because I knew it was going to be memorable, even as it was just beginning.  And it was!  As I was reading my entries, I was instantly swept back into time, re-felt feelings of anticipation, and couldn’t wait to read more.  The problem is, those two entries are the only two I would write.  I must have lost interest, or forgot to write.  Now, I remember that winter, but the memories are faded from years gone by, and I wish I had kept writing.

Life has changed in the past 16 years. I have a wife, two little girls, a mortgage, and a real job.  The days are slow, but the years are fast.  Ferris was right, “Life moves pretty fast, if you don’t stop to look around once and a while, you could miss it.”  I don’t want to miss it.  I want to remember what it was like to be a husband, a dad, and myself.  Just as those memories from the winter of 2001 have faded over time, I don’t want that to happen with something more important…my family.

So, that’s why I’m writing “Dad vs. Human.”  I’m 38 years old.  Neil Armstrong was 38 years old when he walked on the moon.  In 2001, I had no idea what I wanted to do with my life.  I couldn’t have guessed what would become of my career, and looking back, I had no aspirations to do what I currently do for a living.  My accomplishments seem small compared to Mr. Armstrong, but the point is to start a new adventure; and since I’m staring down 40, the time is now.

“Dad vs. Human” will be simple.  It’s just what it’s like for me to be a dad, yet still be human.  Those are two different things.  Being a dad requires taking on responsibilities for others; being a human requires taking on responsibilities to be yourself.  Both are equally important as they fuel each other.  It’s a tough juggling act at times, but it can be done, and it needs to be done.  If there is too much focus on one, the other suffers.  That’s not good.  Have you heard the saying, “Happy wife, happy life?”  Well, “Happy man, peaceful land” is also true.

This isn’t a “tips or tricks” or a “how to” guide on how to be a dad, husband, and yourself; this is simply my life in a vacuum, and in another 16 years, I will have remembered it.