I think a lot of people, myself included, spend too much time looking out for some bigger picture goal that involves money, career, number of kids, etc. Granted, it's better than just winging it with no plan, but certainly you can overdo it. In my (second, unplanned) work transition, I had a couple of weeks where I could have been way too worried about the future, but instead was careful to enjoy every basic and fundamental moment I could with my little family.
There have been countless times in the last few weeks where I've had Simon on my lap, as he played with a toy or relaxed before I put him down for the night, and all I could think of was, "Yeah, this is what it's about."
In this case, I think it's the scarcity of those moments that gave me so much focus. I'll never forget rocking with Simon in the apartment during that month I had off right after he was born. With his tiny little body (well, tiny for him) draped over my shoulder, I thought about how relatively few times I'd get to have that experience. We're getting to have them again, because he's now old enough to initiate them and find comfort and safety in our arms. It's awesome, and I know a time will come when he's too old or too cool to be that kid.
Every time the screensaver on my computer kicks in, I see literally hundreds of moments that are like this, and I often ask myself if I knew how great those moments were at the time. I'm pleased to say that more often than not, the answer is yes. It has taken a lot of conscious effort to get there, though. I look at those moments from my 20's and I realize how infrequently I lived in those moments. I guess it's just what happens when you grow up.
I can't tell you how things will be in ten years for any of the goal-setting type of stuff we typically engage in, but I worry less about it because life's great moments are happening every single day. I don't want to miss those moments.
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