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| Myself and my 3 daughters last night before the father/daughter dance. |
Hello all, or none maybe. I know I haven't been around in a while. I guess that is due to a few reasons. We have had a great time playing this winter. Mostly on the slopes of Cannon Mountain in New Hampshire. I have enjoyed another incredible year with my children, wife, father, and friends on the mountain, and even though mother nature didn't bring all the natural snow we prayed for, we still had one heck of a winter, and hopefully still have a couple of weekends left God willing. Work has been very busy, and that has kept my little mind occupied. I guess I may have needed a break from blogging, and a few other things. I am cursed by an obsessive gene that really only allows me to focus on a couple of things at once, just so happens that the blog wasn't one of them this winter. I needed some time to sort of recharge the batteries. This winter has been a time of reflection for me. I am not a deep guy by any means, but I know when I need to take a step back and focus on what is really important to me. The one constant that always matters to me is my relationship with my family, and my three kids. Like a lot of guys, I probably take my wife for granted more than I should. But I think she knows I love her, and that she will always be a most important part of my life. What I try to stay focused on, no matter what, is my relationship with my 3 daughters. I have spent the last 3 months skiing with all of them on a weekly basis every Saturday and Sunday. It is amazing what you can learn about your kids on a chairlift, or on a ski trail. You can see toughness as they close the lift on a sub-zero day, you can learn about their zeal to excel, you can learn how much they love you as a dad, you can learn what it feels like for them to feel totally free as they spread their arms and cry out "wheeee" as they ski down the hill, and so much more. What I learned, and continue to have to remind myself of, is that is so important to make every second with your kids count. You don't have to try to be super dad, and don't be their best friend all of the time. Just take some time to stop and smell the roses, and realize that we ain't leaving a bunch behind besides our family. The lessons that we pass on to them are our true legacies. I know that I am never going to be president, or be written about in some history book, but I do know that my kids will have a few fond memories to recall to their own children and grandchildren about their crazy old dad, and that thought truly makes me smile, hell I'm even smiling as I am typing. As we get older we tend to look at our lives and take stock on where we're at. Are we successful, are we doing well financially, etc.. I would suggest that what really matters most is not the rat race, but the dad race. Are we being the best dads we can be. For most of us the answer is no. A lot of us lose focus on whats important, certainly including me, but when I take a step back and think about it, my family is the pinnacle to me. Helping to give my daughters confidence to conquer. It doesn't matter a whole lot what they conquer, it could be a tough math equation, a standardized test, a mean ass glade trail at Cannon, as long as they conquer it, and feel the success and confidence that comes with that. That is what makes me tick, and that is what makes me happy. Knowing that my girls can kick ass, take names, and be happy kids and young ladies is the most gratifying thing I can do with my life.
Happily a Dad,
Wacky Dad
