Why is it that when you have children time seems to go by so much faster? My first year of being a father has gone by in the blink of an eye, or shall I say as quickly as my daughter Madison can crawl down the hallway.
Madison had her 1st birthday party last week (technically her first party but 2nd birthday if you include the day that she was born). We brought out all the stops with even a visit from the one and only Elmo, her favorite cartoon character (at least at the moment for those with children). She wasn’t scared at all but never really did relax. I think she isn’t used to having a large, red furry creature walking around her home never mind over 50 people, most of whom she is encountering for the first time.
Needless to say our day went very well. Her only cry was when we all sang happy birthday and then stopped to have her blow out the candles. I think she was stunned with the silence following the singing. But I never thought something, or someone, so small could be the center of your attention. I remember when Madison was less than 2 months old and we brought her for her routine check up. The doctor said to make sure you don’t close doors on her fingers or toes because they were so small. I stated emphatically and confidently, in the same manner I used to when closing a deal, “that just won’t happen.” And it hasn’t, not even close.
You see, for someone like me, who was so focused on business and productivity, perhaps hyper-focused, (I typically paid my bills in the car at red lights as I didn’t want to allow that kind of dead time to enter my schedule) having someone to spend my energy and time on gets me to relax and take each day as it comes. It sounds strange, but I don’t feel rushed to do anything. I remember my wife telling me early on when Madison was born ‘don’t worry, just be a good Dad and everything else will just fall into place.’ And it really has. I am following my passion teaching tennis full time now, enjoying competing more often on the tennis court again with my brother, doing more reading than I have in the past, watching more DVDs than ever but above all being the best father that I can be for Madison.
It’s so interesting how much you can learn from someone so young. The small, simple things in life seem to mean the most. Of all of the toys that Madison has, she seems to be infatuated with my tennis shoes. Go figure as they cost a lot less than the ones strewn about the living room. Yet perhaps it’s that she smells her Dad (should I really be saying that) or that they aren’t always there. Either way, it doesn’t matter to me. They make her happy, that makes me happy.
So, bottom line, if you have children, let them play with your shoes….and if you don’t…cherish the small, less urgent things in life as they seem to end up being the most important.
“The worst thing that happened to me all day was that I lost a tennis match,” James Blake from his book Breaking Back.
Suggested Reading:
Breaking Back by James Blake
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