Up early, do what you can.
Tip-toe into the kids’ room, blow them a kiss, piggyback to the one on the cheek, hand the night before.
Move the pile of clean laundry from one spot to the other; gotta fold that tonight.
Sip cold brew, do a little work on your day off.
Take solace in the birdsong drifting through the open window.
Reset another password.
Push anxiety and doubts aside.
Thank God for another day.
Dads Day,
Why to say?
Nice to have it your own way.
Sleep ‘til you can’t,
Coffee on demand,
Chores as you like,
Maybe none of that delights,
A day come together,
Filled with love and little treasures,
These kids, they are the measure,
The source,
Of course,
The essence of being a dad,
So glad,
To be a dad.
I find myself periodically in this space. I’m wrangling to keep my kids on task during the crunch time of work/day evenings. We’re working to stay on schedule to meet a goal, in this case lights out in time for a good night’s sleep.
As they seem to wander to and fro, distracted, my guiding tone goes from pleasant to terse, insistent, firm.
I try hard not to yell. I recall I didn’t like to hear yelling as a kid myself. But I do get more firm; I remind them of consequences to behavior.
Sometimes I think I’m being harsh. Every time that comes to mind, most every time there’s a shift in my own thinking, patience level, I try to pause, and check myself.
They’re just kids learning, living, growing up. They benefit from guidance, especially when a time schedule is involved; but if they stay generally on task, that’s the main goal.
Those are the two take-aways:
Check firm, make sure it’s not harsh;.
Remind them of the goal (what ever it is) that’s linked to the schedule being imposed.
Ah yes, and remember, they’re just kids learning.
I love music, and I L O V E this song. It’s one of my favorites, over the few decades since I first heard it.
I learned the words long ago, and sing along pretty much whenever I listen to the tune.
“A Pirate Looks At Forty” by Jimmy Buffett. It’s a great one. Many other musicians have covered it, including Jack Johnson and Dave Matthews. I’m no musician really, but I cover it too.
So several years back when I was inspired to sing my kids a lullaby well…after singing a couple of the “standards”, I switched to this time-tested fave.
My kids call the song by the first line, “Mother Ocean”. I don’t sing the whole song to them – there’s a little more adult content toward the end – but sing away otherwise I still do for them.
That’s the message I’d like to convey: don’t be afraid to sing along, or even lead the way. It feels good to sing.
You’ll be glad you did.
Promo, don’t you know,
Not the commercial kind, oh no!
Rather the advancement, getting promoted forward, skyward,
No in work, but school,
Grade 5 to be exact,
Our oldest, our leader,
Older than her 11 years,
On to middle school,
Our two-house family come together to celebrate and support and fill her with love,
Filled with joy,
Shine on kid, Shine On!
Pick it up,
Slow down,
Live by it,
Die by it?
Don’t let it kill you,
Learn to master it,
When to allow yourself to be swept up,
When to let hurry by when too quick,
It’s up to you,
Pace.
Weird to think, struggle on the weekend,
Fun and games and care-free ways give way to toil and trouble, bubble bubble,
As Sunday night settles in, angst and worry, aches and pains, imagined, real, pour in through the cracks and splits,
Lava creeping, melting, molding all to worry, can’t control, overwhelmed, just what we don’t want as Weekend recedes,
But is what is, we feel what we feel, and that’s all we can respond to, adjust to, you , me,
Us all, same boat, let’s row together as best we can, into the night, week, day ahead, look forward, rest,
The dawn will come soon enough, soon enough.
Early morning workdays, they seem to start like this most days. Overdrive. Zero to sixty in no time.
My mind goes from dreamy rest to racing thoughts, flashing across my mind’s eye.
List accelerating, things, tasks to-do’s adding to the bottom and the list gets long in a hurry. Quickly spiraling, my heart beat quickens, can’t be good to think this fast this quick.
In the pre-dawn darkness, I work to slow it down, the race into the day, the pace someone, no one is expecting, I take deep breaths, I scribble it all down, eyes blurred, unsure of how it all will go.
Forcing myself to slow, let it all flow through, the Prime Reminder, let love flow through, the Prime Mover, purpose, and take it as it comes, as the day is underway, workday, the way it begins many a day,
For me.
#halffullallgood
Sometimes it’s like my house is a diner; sometimes the dining table is like one at a diner.
But the wait staff at this diner (me/dad) doesn’t do a great job of cleaning up between meals served.
Crumbs on the table, and under; not swept in a while; place mats left out, askew.
The Good News? Will try again today to keep it a bit more tidy.
#halffullallgood
Moms are bedrock, known,
Constant, like air itself, joy,
Found in you, always.
1/2_Full, All GOOD 