White House Summit + NYC to Niagara Falls Ride

Happy Father's Day!  Fatherhood was top of mind this past week when I was invited to the Working Fathers Lead-up Event for the White House Summit on Working Families.  The event celebrated men who are taking an active role in raising their kids.  The highlight for me, and no doubt for many in the room, was the talk by New York Mets second baseman Daniel Murphy, who skipped his team's season opener earlier this year to attend the birth of his son.  Talk radio hosts criticized him for missing the first two games of the season, but Murphy took the long view and said, "I'm the one who cut his umbilical cord.  And long after they tell me that I'm not good enough to play professional baseball anymore, I'll be a father."  Well done, sir.

A few days after this event, I posted a video in honor of Father's Day, in which I offered some hopes for my children that I think apply to anyone trying to create a meaningful life.  You can watch the video here.

Speaking of fatherhood, I'm about to spend some serious quality time with my two kids.  Starting next week, we will cycle about 900 miles from New York City to Niagara Falls and back.  My wife, Eiko, will join the first two weeks of the five-week ride.  We're collecting roadkill data to reduce the impact of roads on wildlife and are offering some fabulous rewards in return for donations here.

If you're interested in following our progress, I'll post updates from the ride right here on this blog.

Pics from the White House: 

Daniel Murphy, NY Mets

My buddies in the NYC Dads Group

Exuberance at the podium