I was putting Norah to bed this evening and she was giggling away at me as we played. And then I realised something… that little baby giggle is what life is all about. I could be free-and-single with no responsibilities or in a dual-income-no-kids situation with money to spare but that giggle gives me more motivation that you’d believe existed.
Without that girly giggle, I wouldn’t have the motivation to build Shutter Scouts or work hard to develop my photography skills, and instead retreat into buying pointless gadgets which would sap even more time from my glass (I’m thinking of you, computer games). I’ve learnt that time is more important than anything else and this tweet still sums it up for me: http://twitter.com/JamesKennedy/statuses/1285107644
Another thought: After 2-3 manic days doing too much, Hilary asked me if I was ready to go back to work on Monday (after my gallbladder operation last week). My response, as always, was:
“If I start work on a Monday morning all bright-eyed and
bushy-tailed then I know I’ve wasted my weekend. If I’m completely
fucking exhausted, I know I’ve done my best to cram 7-days of life
into a 2-day weekend. I’ve lived“
I like the end quote. I tend to feel like that on a Monday whatever though.
As to the ‘giggle’: I find that whenever I’m having one of those “I love being a dad” moments, that the girls will then promptly do something to reverse that feeling. It’s like they know.
Laughter is one of the things they don’t really tell you about when you are preparing for parenthood, a childs joy at the most mundane of things creates a buzz that nothing else can match.
Nice anecdote
I absolutely agree. My solution: don’t work full time