Dear Dave,
Slow Down.
Enjoy the Moment.
Your kids aren’t going to be young forever. One day, they’ll be quiet. One day, they will sit on couches and not jump on them. One day, they will stop coming into your bed. And you’re going to miss the noise, the bouncing, and the snuggles.
Ease up on the kids.
Things will still get done and the Earth won’t slip off of its axis, if you take a day off. Urgency is good, but late nights working and stressing constantly just makes you old fast.
You live in Spain, for goodness sake.
Drink a café con leche on a sunny terrace. Don’t wolf your food, have a conversation. Enjoy the company of people. Find out what you have in common, and relish in that.
Relax.
Sincerely,
Me
I wrote this to myself when we lived in Spain a few years ago, but I also wrote it to all of the other Type A, driven leaders and workers out there who may also be neglecting what’s going on around them for the “activity of accomplishment.” Do you have any other recommendations for me? I mean us?
Good stuff.
Thanks Kevin. u00a0I need to keep saying this to myself every now and then.
This thought haunts me on a regular basis (in a good way): u00a0″Your kids arenu2019t going to be young forever. One day, theyu2019ll be quiet. One day, they will sit on couches and not jump on them. One day, they will stop coming into your bed. And youu2019re going to miss the noise, the bouncing, and the snuggles.”nOnce in a while I look at my girls and think about how quickly they will be women (in the grand scheme of things), and that definitely snaps me back into the present moment. u00a0I read somewhere recently that we are most passionate in our relationships when we realize potential loss.
As a mom of three teenage boys (14, 17, 19), I know too well that the Saturday mornings piled in mom and dad’s bed came to an end too quickly. I miss it. And I regret that at times I wished the chaos away. But not any more. It’s still chaos, but a different kind of chaos. And I’m learning to be in this moment, rather than wishing for the next.
I understand completely. u00a0u00a0nnMy girls are growing fast, and I can already see them becoming independent…. good, but bad! u00a0Time to get cracking on some ‘quality time’
“Here’s to the chaos.”nnAs a type-A, perfectionist, ex-miltary disciplinarian guy that doesn’t like loud noise, that’s hard for me to say… but I need to embrace it more. u00a0nnYou’d think with 3 kids I’d be used to it by now…