Ain't That a Kick In the Head!.......DEANO!

A lot has happened in the last few days and with it comes life lessons and how crazy they can be. God really does have a sense of humor. Maybe George Burns' portrayal of him in "Oh, God!" was pretty accurate. I personally lean toward the Morgan Freeman interpretation in "Evan Almighty."

So much has been happening in the last week that I have lost track of what day it was a couple of times. I need to pause and make a statement about one of the most idiotic things that wives say to husbands or visa versa. I have a weird O.C.D. thing about losing my wallet or car keys so I put them in the same spot. Then, when I feel I have lost them, I can glance over and be comforted that they are in their preassigned seating area.

Last night I was doing a comedy show at Walter Payton's America's Roundhouse in Aurora. I was running behind a little and when I was ready to dash out the door, I noticed that my wallet was not in its parking spot. I looked in my other pants, the kitchen, the bedroom, my office and all the other places it could be. I then mentioned to my wife that my wallet was misplaced and I was freaking out. Her response was "Do you remember where you had it last?" This is the insanity of couplehood. If I knew where I "had seen it last," I would have clearly checked that place and the wallet would not be lost. I want to scream out "NOW WHY DIDN'T I THINK OF THAT!" This is a hats off to all the husbands and wives who bite their tongue and say nothing in response to our partners obviously ridiculous statement.

On Tuesday I found out that my first well paying commercial with Firestone had hit the Internet and has gone viral. Over its first 3 days of airing there have been over 300,000 views. I was on top of the world. I posted the commercial to my blog and Facebook and was proud that I could officially call myself a professional actor. I'm hoping that the commercial's popularity will encourage Firestone to run the spot on TV. If they do, Papa gets paid again. It's a beautiful thing and I am grateful that the commercial has been so well received.

My middle daughter Sunny has been having a pain in her side for a few months which was diagnosed as a pulled muscle. It didn't heal as the doctors said it would. We took her back to the hospital for an X-ray and a mass was found. I went from being on top of the world to "Why are you doing this to us God?" in a matter of seconds. Just when you think you've got the world by the stones you find yourself standing in a puddle of reality tinkle.

In the last few days she has been poked, prodded, scanned and had enough blood to transfuse a rhino. It may be serious or really serious. There is concern but the worst case scenario isn't the worst case scenario. My fatherly side and extreme thinking took me to tragedy and the end. I have obsessed about her future and the impact it could have on her life. Her mother has been a wreck. My son has been distant and sick. We have all focused in with sniper-like precision on what she has been going through.

One of the things that makes me crazy about our health care system is the various doctors you have to visit that fit neatly into your "provider" list. One doctor's prognosis is something out of "Love Story" and the next says "That's nothing. Take two of these and call me in the morning." That leaves a huge chasm of obsession between "it's showtime" and "it's curtains!" After all of the jockeying it has been narrowed down to 2 things, both of which are manageable and not life threatening.

My gratitude and excitement of my booming career are amazing and I'm thankful for all the opportunities and doors that are opening for me. That being said, that day brought me to the real substance of life's importance:  being there for our families. I love my family, friends and co-workers, but I work to live. I don't live to work. Right now the focus is on Sunny and what she needs. There will be lots of gigs down the road, but there is only one Sunny. Have a day!