Thursday is culture shock day in my life. It’s near the end of a long week, not my worst work day but as close to a second Monday as I care to come. The only reason Friday isn’t worse is that it’s Friday. I mean, come on. Friday.

On most Thursdays I have dinner with Tammy and David and their boys. I go from my quiet country retreat where I hardly see or talk to anyone to the controlled chaos of a house with three children, the oldest of whom is five. Can you imagine what this is like for me? I love it, but I sometimes find myself a little dizzy from all the energy and activity.

And sometimes the “controlled” chaos doesn’t seem all that controlled. To me. Obviously Tammy and David know what they’re doing, and they have a handle on what each child needs and how to provide it. A stranger looking in might not see it that way, but as someone who loves all five of them, I know what to look for. It’s great, and I enjoy my time there. It can get loud, though, and sometimes I get a little lost.

I can’t imagine my life without this opportunity to be a part of theirs. I even try to help out a little, although my skills aren’t exactly in tune with what they need. But I can listen to D.J.’s endless stories, and I can pay attention to each new thought that Dakota chooses to share, and I can hold Aiden and walk him around until he starts demanding that an actual parent take notice of him.

What more could a single guy ask for? Plus, I can do all that for a few hours and then go home to the peace and quiet. Sometimes I wish I could share that chance with Tammy and David, but that just isn’t the way the world works. I can’t say enough about how much I admire the way they give those boys what they need, at no small cost to their own serenity and (to some degree) sanity.

And frankly, even with all the chaos, it’s a break for me. I get out of the house and I get to be with people who matter to me. It helps me a lot at the end of a long week, and especially on a day like today when the phone would not stop ringing and everyone on the other end of the line wanted something from me that I didn’t have the time or energy (or interest) to give them. As I’ve said before, family is my lifeline.