Disney Leadership Keynote Speaker
Five daily blogs about life's 5 big choices on five interconnected sites.
Merry Midlife Christmas.
“I have no gift to bring, pa-rump-a-ba-bum….”
“….that’s fit to give a King, pa-rump-a-bum-bum….”
While thinking about what to write on a day like today, it’s incredibly humbling, and immensely joyful and glorifying to know that “I got nothin” on a day like today.
“Shall I play for you, pa-rump-a-ba-bum…..”
Was I having a midlife crisis moment a few days ago while sitting in the pew at Church, listening to our inspiring Priest?
Nope. It was a midlife celebration moment. It filled me with joy and went something like this:
Lately, I’ve been questioning the percentage of time I write about serious and deep stuff on Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn.
That’s when the revelation came.
My ability to think deeply and profoundly is either innate or highly developed. My ability to laugh is similar. But reading my entries, you’d think I was just a serious person only.
And then something else happened. The realization that I can turn on a dime and go completely comical.
And then this thought. How many can turn on a dime and go deep and profound?
Finally, the question of is one better than the other? No. It’s not about better. It’s about balance.
And, it’s about preparation. Mid Life is something that can be planned for and joyful.
Being serious, profound and deep, is a world-class way to be ready for mid life.
Are you a thankful midlife parent, or maybe thankful midlife grandparent? Gauran-dang-tee I am.
Most married couples think parenting is an entitlement. Cheryl and I can tell you first hand it doesn’t work that way for all couples.
So, being a mid life Dad makes me thankful beyond any mortal effort to describe it. Seriously.
But I’ll try. Here goes. This is simply a typical revelation, in the journey my son and I have each day. It’s something I’ve been sharing and teaching him with unwavering commitment.
“Once you learn to be honest, it is no longer something to fear. Once you don’t tell the truth, it becomes easier to do it again.”
Honesty builds trust. Trust reinforces honesty. And honesty becomes a habit. Simple, but not easy.
Are you thankful for the seemingly overwhelming obstacles that appear in front of you? Many times, I’ve finally come to learn, the solutions are simple.
What began as anger turned into an amazing blessing.
Bear hugs began about seven years ago when I was struggling to adapt to a new rule our son’s child care provider put in place.
My wife takes our son to day care, I pick him up. Upon arrival, the first thing I’d do is scoop him up and give him a hug. In many cases, I had not seen him (awake) since the day before.
The new policy change had you remain in your vehicle as your child was placed in their car seat. You never got out of the car. Some parents liked this.
I did not. In fact, it made me really pissed off angry. Fuming mad.
Solutions are often simple and many times, come from unlikely sources. A friend, gay and never ever ging to be a parent, gave me the best parenting solution.
He said, “After you pick up your son, why don’t you drive around the corner, park, get out, and do your bear hug?”
Duh! It was the perfect solution. Perfect.
There have been a few days where we are several miles from his school when one of us realizes we didn’t do our bear hug. Do we wait until we get home? Nope.
What overwhelming challenge have you had that turned into one of your biggest mid life blessings?
Yesterday, you heard a promise. Here it is, the traditions a mid life Father put in place, using a lion’s share of midlife creativity. It would be easy to discount their value, because they are so simple.
What simple, repeatable traditions do is ingrain key messages. Simple messages. Life altering messages.
While we are insanely busy, we all have one life to live. We ought to be insanely thankful for that, and then set out to make the most of it.
PS. If you regularly follow Mid Life Celebration, you already know there’s a really strong chance each tradition will be explained in future posts, maybe as soon as tomorrow. And if f you’re new here, welcome.