How Doctor Who Makes This Geek Daddy Think
Phone booth, glasses, last of his kind... OMG! The Doctor is Superman!
It truly is amazing how a silly T.V. show can get you to thinking about life.
I am currently in mourning. I’m mourning the loss of a fictional character. What makes this behavior on my part even worse, is that said fictional character has the ability to ‘regenerate’, causing him to live, albeit in varying forms, possibly forever.
Yesterday, I lost the Doctor.
It wasn’t a surprise. I knew it was the end. The rest of the world has already mourned and moved on. They’re enjoying Matt Smith, I’ve seen the tweets.
But the mourning process is very real and very ‘now’ for me. And just as with any other loss, I find myself thinking about things differently.
The great thing about David Tennant‘s entire run was his incredible enthusiasm. Enthusiasm is something the Doctor should have in spades. His enthusiasm for human life and the whole of creation is inspiring. No matter what obstacles, aliens, or seemingly unsolvable problem the Doctor faces, he does so with a smile and a lot of determination (and a wisecrack or two).
Recently I feel that I am in one of those cliffhanger moments in my life where I’m not totally sure where to go next. I wish I could just snap on my glasses and whip out a sonic screwdriver. But since I can’t, it’s great that I do have fantastic companions to help me along…
As you can see from the pictures I’ve chosen so far, the Doctor has had more companions than regenerations of himself.
I have several companions as well. My wife has got to be the closest person to a companion the Doctor would choose that I’ve ever met. Not only is she brilliantly smart and great in a tight spot, she serves as an excellent moral compass as well. She’s not just my moral compass, but a practicality one. Sometimes I get it in my head to go off and do something half cocked, and she brings me back to Earth, with an even better and more effective idea.
The Doctor's daughter, Jenny.
My other companions, of course, are my kids.
My kids are my rocks. There is nothing better than coming home to see Tristin’s smiling face, or Calli asking ‘Daddy, can you play with me?’ They remind me why I do what I do each day. More importantly, they remind me why I want to do it.
I’m not sure what it was about the end of the tenth Doctor that got me to very nearly cry at a science fiction show. (Real men don’t cry at things like that, but I did get a rather large lump in my throat.)
It could have been the writing, which expressed, I’m sure, the sentiment of the audience and the cast and crew as the Doctor said sadly, ‘I don’t want to go.’ It could have simply been David’s amazing acting.
But it was more than likely the thoughts of my own life that struck the deepest chord. It never ceases to amaze me how sci-fi and fantasy can have that effect on me. On the outside, these stories are about amazing aliens, strange new worlds, and epic galactic battles, but the good stories draw from your thoughts, memories, and sometimes nightmares.
The REAL dedication of this post goes to...
As I watched the Doctor regenerate, taking the TARDIS itself out with him, I thought about how life is a lot like that. As we evolve ourselves, it effects those around us. As we evolve and change ourselves, the people that are most dear to us seem to change as well. Sometimes people grow apart, some relationships become tighter than ever. The people in our lives shape who we are as well. Choose your friends wisely.
I have no idea how this next chapter in my life will wind up. It could be not all that different, or I could feel like I’ve been flung to the far reaches of space and time.
But unlike the Doctor, I have family all around me to guide me.
Who needs a TARDIS with a gift like that?
…(OK, I would still love my own TARDIS. 
)
What Would The Doctor Do?
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Tags: Arts, David Tennant, Earth, family, Fatherhood, Matt Smith, Science Fiction, Sonic screwdriver, TARDIS, Tenth Doctor
