Like every Sunday, I got to spend some time with my daughter today. I took a few photos of her and when I got home and looked at them I got to thinking about all the shit I’ve been through and she’s been through throughout her life. She’s a strong little girl man, and I’m proud to be her dad.

I know I’ve messed up a lot in my own travels – the stories are endless – bar brawls, suicide attempts, arrests, abuse, AA sessions, having my wind taken out from under me by 14 division, schizophrenia, depression, youth centers, and being hospitalized a number of times – sometimes I’m ashamed of the things that I let my lifestyle and myself get into considering this little girl was over at her moms house ready to see me for 2 days out of the week… sometimes it was 1 day… sometimes none… and I was to blame for a lot of it.

I remember coming over one day after having my face cut open (a story that most people would not understand even if Heath Ledger told it), and not knowing what to say to her.. coming over with my wrist stitched up and bandaged, my arm gaping open, my face fucked up by the cops, limping.. etc, etc.

I’m grateful that my life has changed, that I’ve done what I’ve needed to do to turn it around, that I’ve smartened up, shaped up, shipped out, and made this thing work for me, not to mention the fact that her grandparents were around to keep some level of sanity in her life while things were at their most fucked up. I see the rewards in our relationship now versus how it was when I was busy minding my beefs and burying my money into $3.90 40’s of Colt, QP’s, kicks, lawyer fees or $20.25 26ers of Bacardi. I was a wreck, trying to find something sturdy to step onto, and all the while she was waiting patiently for me to realize that she had been that foundation the whole time.

Those who know me on the reals will know why this video relates so much to me on so many levels. Those who don’t may think it’s tacky. The truth is I don’t really care what you think. I just hope that this makes some kind of connection to those fathers out there who aren’t playing their roles properly and are letting the lives of our young brothers and sisters slip into the mentality that it’s okay to be an absent parent, that it’s alright to not be around for your children because of the differences that you may have with their mother, their mother’s mother, or their motherfucking existence taking away from you hanging out with the fellas, shooting dice, playing dominoes, drinking, hustling, fucking, chasing your dream and overall fucking around while not being what your dad taught you not to be – a father to your children. My beef with that is this – I don’t need to shoot myself in the foot to know that it’s gonna hurt, but if someone shoots me through the shoe I should know damn well not to do it to someone else. Stop blaming your fathers fuck ups for the fuck up of a father you have been to your children and man the fuck up to your responsibilities as a citizen of the world to help raise young people who will make this place better for the children of those of us who have decided that we’re not gonna let our responsibilities as parents slip out from under us. Seriously, it’s never too late to make an effort to become a better parent, unless of course you’ve already done enough to prove that you couldn’t be any worse.

Shout out to my mothers holding it down, my fellas fathering and watering their seeds, and all the children who have been strong enough to put up with all the crap that parents like to make you the middle of. We really do love you, even when we’re too busy acting like adults.

And to my baby, daddy loves you. You know this.

My homies Gavin and Hopeton put me onto this shit a while back and I remember sitting and watching these parkour and freerunning videos for hours at a time afterwards.

This is a compilation of David Belle, considered one of the best free runners globally. I love the similarities in pace and change of rhythm and direction that this has with b-boying, especially the little hop he does at the very end of the video.

Notable points: 3:51, 3:57

Enjoy