Today, I Am Thankful
/I just had a long talk with my son, working through a tough phase in his teenage life, and it hit me: parenting is a process. Like running a marathon, it's extremely challenging yet fulfilling. It's a life-long journey of self-discovery and collective growth that changes you like nothing else can.
When I was younger, I naively thought I didn't want kids. Really, I was terrified. Partially afraid of the challenges, mostly afraid of the loss of freedom. It's true, children are demanding. They ruin your social life and end your ability to ever get any sleep. They multiply your stress, drain your finances and eliminate your free time.
Before getting married, I was convinced that my life would be just fine--maybe even better--without all this. Turns out, I couldn't have been more wrong. Instead, that's exactly what makes kids great. Children cause a unique growth and fulfillment that is as difficult to explain as it is to achieve, otherwise. This quote describes it best:
“Monotony collapses time; novelty unfolds it. You can exercise daily and eat healthily and live a long life, while experiencing a short one. If you spend your life sitting in a cubicle and passing papers, one day is bound to blend unmemorably into the next - and disappear. That’s why it’s so important to change routines regularly, and take vacations to exotic locales, and have as many new experiences as possible that can serve to anchor our memories. Creating new memories stretches out psychological time, and lengthens our perception of our lives.”
Now that I have an army of kids, I thoroughly understand that life without them was almost meaningless in comparison. Everything I thought was important, I slowly learned didn't matter at all! More than ever, I'm convinced that the true way to bring meaning to life is through a complex depth of experience.
I urge people without children, who are on the fence, to make the leap. It's the best way to give true, substantial meaning to life.
This father's day, I am thankful. So thankful for my kids, my family and the immeasurable quality they add to my life.
My life has been enriched beyond my wildest dreams.
