Her first bath, precious; her first bath sitting up, special; bath with cousins, sweetness; even the first soapy faux-hawk is pretty cool. But after a while, it’s hard to show up and bring my A-game. I feel like one of those cops in the movies, just trying to run out the clock till retirement, till she’s down for the night and I get a little slice of me-time.

I’m worn out and all those icons on my phone are calling me, Instagram, Email, The New York Times. I pause, take a few deep breaths, opt for Pandora, the Bob Dylan station, it’s The Boss, Devils & Dust. Sure, depressing as hell, but it works. I’m there, fully there, staring glassy-eyed at my little girl with a lump in my throat as this everyday moment (I mean every freaking day) unfolds into magic.

Those moments are there for us, possibly everywhere, but at least more often than we imagine. Sometimes we just need a little help uncovering them. For some, sometimes meditation works. For me, for this evening, it’s a little bump from The Boss.