Dreams that die hard

This is Dan, my husband of almost 10 years. Dan was supposed to be a rock star.

Dan was a huge fish in a very small pond back in the day. If you speak to people of a certain age, they will recall many of the different bands he was in very fondly.

You can Google some of those band names and still find original or re-released vinyl.

Dan was the bass player and lead singer.

It's been hard for him, letting go of what he thought would happen when he was younger. By the time we met, his hey-day was over but he still played out several times a month.

Now, he's firmly entrenched in middle age and he doesn't play out at all anymore.

Every once in a while, though, I can see that it's still very hard for him.

Dan and I haven't had the easiest time together. The past 10 months have been particularly difficult. I think to myself often about how our marriage vows said "for better or for worse," and this has to be the "for worse" part; I shudder to think it could be worse than it has been.

But regardless of how things are between us, I will always say that Dan is a good father in all the ways that count the most. He's devoted to our kids and very giving of his time and affection with them. He's still a star in our son's eyes.