August 12, 2019
When I think of taking the time, I think of the Cat Stevens song, "Cats in the Cradle"* and its sad repertoire of words pointing to time missed between a son and a father. Having always been moved by these words, I swore to myself as a young teenager that I would be like my father, present, and not grow up to be another member of the song's story as the son or later the father.
Fast forward to the year 2019 and look around us. We are constantly challenged by video streaming devices and work based distractions that try to pry us away from our quality time with loved ones. It is ever present like a gorilla waiting to steal your time away leaving you feeling empty if you let it.
How can we keep the tide of distraction at bay? The simple answer is by daily consciousness to the need to. Being aware will make it easier to put whatever you are doing down and spend more time with your little child or teenager. Or on the flip side, your wife, aunt, uncle, father or mother.
I recently hopped on a plane to visit with my father and my aunt, his older sister, with the sole purpose of hearing their story in its entirety. 6 hours of video recordings later and I was amazed at the depth of the World War II immigrant history that I did not know in its complete linear fashion. The time spent was special and the memories are locked in forever. Value at its best.
Where in your life can you add value to a loved one's life? Where in your life can you stay conscious to your family's needs and be present moment as often as possible? If you haven't spent quality time with your elders, I highly encourage it. They have so much to share with memories and wisdom.
I am so grateful for the memories made,
Dr. M
*Part of the lyrics to Cats in the Cradle
"When you coming home, dad?" "I don't know when"
But we'll get together then
You know we'll have a good time then
My son turned ten just the other day
He said, thanks for the ball, dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw, I said, not today
I got a lot to do, he said, that's okay
And he walked away, but his smile never dimmed
It said, I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know...
