Cedric Thompson Jr

03/09/2026

My dad taught me what survival had taught him.
I kept the hunger and changed what I did with it.
Growing up taught me that even good lessons sometimes need a new language.

02/09/2026

One day, my hand won’t be there to hold.
But if I’ve done this right, they’ll reach for each other’s.
And somehow, that makes letting go a little easier.

31/08/2026

Over 1,000 guys got cut from NFL rosters this week.

Watching this happen every year brings all of that back up for me. Some of the guys getting calls right now are going to look back in ten years and know exactly what they’d do different. I already know what I’d do different.

I made a whole video about how I messed up my own career, what led to it, what I’ve learned since. Comment “YouTube” and I’ll send you the link.

30/08/2026

I got seven more days.

The week started with me taking Kenny to work and ended with me realizing how emotionally invested I’ve become in my daughter’s soccer games.

This week I shared my Most Improved Player story and how losing that mentality hurt my NFL career. It’s bittersweet. I love how much the story helps people, but it also reminds me how different my life could’ve been if I had carried that mentality into the NFL.

School starts this week, so fresh haircuts for the girls were due, and they loved them.

I made an espresso tonic on the way to the State Fair. We did the slide, ate our usual snacks, discovered chocolate covered strawberries, and watched Quincy get old enough for more rides while her sisters moved on to the bigger ones.

I had my usual coffee and w**e throughout the week too. Little pockets that remind me to slow down.

I also finally made time for something I’ve wanted to do for months. Conversations with someone I’ve always been curious about and felt an unexplainable connection with. I’m excited to see where they go.

I caught myself mumbling under my breath, moving my head with the action and literally kicking my leg when they took a shot.

Then I realized why.

My oldest loves to perform and sing. My middle daughter loves to compete.

She loves gymnastics, but soccer is something she’s naturally good at. Watching how badly she wants to compete and win brings the competitor back out of me.

I don’t know if she can see my little reactions from the field. Maybe one day I’ll be the dad screaming from the sidelines. For now, seeing the smile on her face when she sees me there is enough.

This week reminded me to slow down and pay attention. A lot of life happens in seven days when you’re present enough to notice it.

On to another seven.

27/08/2026

23/08/2026

I got another seven days.

And somewhere in the middle of them, I told my daughter, “F**k it.”

She wanted to go to the park. It was already 7:00, bedtime was at 7:30, and I had been up since 4:30 that morning working. I was tired, still had things to finish, and everything about the routine I’ve built told me it didn’t make sense to go.

But she had asked me a couple times, and eventually something in me just said, f**k it. Let’s go.

So we went.

I’ve spent a lot of my life thinking discipline means sticking to the plan, but I’m starting to realize there’s also something to be said for knowing when the plan doesn’t matter as much as the moment in front of you.

Especially in the season I’m in right now. I’m working hard on something I believe in, even if everyone doesn’t understand what I’m doing yet. I’m okay with that. I’ve been misunderstood before.

What I don’t want is to become so focused on the life I’m trying to build that I miss the one I already have.

And strangely enough, that little “f**k it” carried into the rest of my seven days.

I tried Coke and espresso with Alex and wish we had recorded our first reaction. I played some terrible golf with my boys. I had an impromptu date with my oldest and youngest daughters. I started The Case for Faith and kept exploring questions about faith, history, theology and what I actually believe.

None of those things were particularly profound on their own. But together they reminded me of something I’m trying to get better at: listening to myself enough to know what needs my attention now and what can wait until tomorrow.

The routine matters. The work matters. The plan matters.

But so does knowing when to say f**k it and go to the park.

That’s what these seven days taught me.

On to another seven.

19/08/2026

What 2 Divorces Does To A Man

18/08/2026

It’s 2026 and things have changed, additions have happened which means ….. do we run it back CAPT ?

17/08/2026

This was my 8th grade graduation. A few hours after it happened, my mom told me she was leaving my dad.

Years later, when I was grown and trying to figure out whether marriage was something I could actually do, I asked her why.

She told me she was exhausted. Problems with money. With work. With communication. She did everything she knew how to do. And then she said this:

"I knew I had to move on and figure something out, because it wasn't working. That was the only option I had."

My first thought was: that's not true. You had options. You could have stayed and fought. You could have gone to counseling. There were ten things you could have tried before you furnished a house in secret and drove us two hours north.

I sat with that for a long time.

And then I realized she was telling the truth.

It WAS the only option she had. Because it was the only one she'd ever seen.

Here's the part that should scare you: you've got a list too. You didn't write it. You can't see it. And you're going to pull from it the next time your partner shuts down on you.

I wrote about where that list comes from, and how to add to it. Link is in the comments.