Noah - Cascade Park
I haven’t posted in over a week. Time has been tight and what free time I have had has been used to hang out with my youngest, Noah. We had a very rare beautiful day in Ohio this past weekend with sunshine (gasp) and temperatures reaching 80 degrees (double gasp). Even though my to-do list is a mile long for JTC, work, and home I couldnt waste this day on those lists when Noah wanted to hang out and have some fun. I tried convincing him that doing a bit of the yard work on the list together would be an absolute BLAST. I wish I had a picture of the look he gave me on that. He wasn’t having it. So he made his own to-do list of what he and I should do that day. We nearly made it through every item on the list by the end of the day and we had a great time. Here are a few lessons Noah taught me that day and the “Adult” translation (AT) to go along with them.
NOT SMARTER THAN A FIFTH GRADER
- Play-Doh is a required household item and its fun to turn Dad’s creation into spaghetti when he isn’t looking. (AT) – Everything doesnt have to be neat and organized all the time. Stop worrying about the “what if” and just have fun.
- Its better to just buy a new pair of the exact same shoes when needed. (AT) – Simplicity is key – why overthink, waste time, and add stress to trivial items. If it works well – stick with it. Focus your change energy on something needing changed.
- Its fun to run up a hill racing your dad. Its even better when you beat him. (I let him win, really I did) (AT) – Its great to win the race but more importantly just start the race. You can never win if you don’t even start.
- Riding in the front seat is the greatest thing ever. (AT) – Enjoy the little things. It is the sum of the little things that will bring joy to your life. Make time for them – OFTEN.
- Goldfish don’t survive very long in a plastic bag in 80 degree weather. (AT) – Goldfish don’t survive very long in a plastic bag in 80 degree weather.
- It is hilarious to watch dad stress out when he locks the keys in the trunk at the grocery store. (AT) – There is an engineer at Chrysler that should be FIRED for designing a trunk release that requires the accessory power to be on. (AT#2) – Why stress? Laugh at yourself, fix it, learn from it, and move on!
- Why work when you can play? (AT) – All work and no play makes dad a dull boy!
- It is fun to hang out with dad and play. (AT) – Make time to enjoy your children while they still want to hang out with you. Sadly, it doesn’t last forever.
It was a great day. Noah taught me a great deal and hopefully I will remember these lessons from a ten year old and continue to apply them to my daily life. I have a long way to go.
What have your children taught you lately? Are you making playing a part of your life or is it all just work and worry?
3 comments
This is great stuff Mr. Gusky!
Post #8 on the mirror you use to shave so you don’t forget it! The next 8 years will slip by. Sometimes the best thing is to tear up all the lists and start from scratch. The critical items will make it back on to the list and the ones that don’t….well, they couldn’t have been that important anyway. It took me until the last 3 or 4 years to realize what “balance” truly is. I knew I achieved it when I heard through a third party that my now 20 year old son said, “Mom doesn’t work ALL the time anymore, she is more fun”.
Great post, Gus! It’s very refreshing to re-connect to the kid in me. Living in Hawaii helps. It reminds me of how often I take myself waaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyy tooooooooooooooooooo seriously. A couple days ago, I was walking home from getting coffee and remembered being a child, looking at the sun on a beautiful day and thinking how much fun I was going to have that day. Actually, I was more concerned with how much fun I was going to have right then. Looking through those eyes has been something I’ve been practicing and makes life sweeter. Not having any kids myself, thanks for letting me live through yours!