GORDON LIGHTFOOT | Sport
WHO NEEDS A SLEEP IN?
33-year-old Nelson dad Mark Henderson expressed an unusual level of enthusiasm about tomorrow’s All Blacks match against South Africa at Twickenham, scheduled for the ungodly hour of 6.30 am New Zealand time.
While many are groaning about the early kickoff, Henderson is reportedly delighted because, unlike carefree men without children, he’s already wide awake and ready to seize the day.
Henderson, a father of two young boys (aged three, and six months), was spotted at his kitchen table, a cup of lukewarm coffee in hand, wearing a teeshirt that was suspiciously stained with unidentified substances. When asked about his thoughts on the early match, he leaned back in his chair with a triumphant grin that only a sleep-deprived parent could truly understand.
“I mean, honestly, who needs sleep, right?” Henderson exclaimed with a wild glint in his eyes, likely brought on by one too many sleepless nights. “These people moaning about a 6.30 kickoff don’t even know they’re alive.”
Henderson’s older son, Regan, who is three years old and has the energy of a thousand suns, decided that 4 am was a good time to wake up both parents and declare that there was a horse in his room.
“It’s truly a blessing,” Henderson continued, with a twinkle of sarcasm in his eyes, “to witness the sun rising while I’m having to find out from my son why he’s taken off his nappy and is literally only wearing socks and a woolly hat”.
As the interview progressed, Henderson’s six-month-old, who seemed determined to break the world record for most nappy changes in a single morning, provided a harmonious backdrop of squishy sounds and gurgles, all while Henderson sipped his cold coffee with the air of a man who has accepted his fate.
“It’s all about perspective,” Henderson mused. “While some folks might see this as a sacrifice of sleep and sanity, I see it as an opportunity to comfortably catch the All Blacks live from my living room. What a way to start the weekend!”
More to come.
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