“Courage is resistance to fear, mastery of fear, not absence of fear.” Mark Twain
“I was seldom able to see an opportunity until it had ceased to be one.” Mark Twain
“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus.” Mark Twain
This morning I woke up to a different sort of Black Friday than the one that many others did. For me it was Black Friday because I had stayed up far later than common sense dictated I should even though I had deadlines to hit. Not deadline, but deadlines. I suppose that ultiple projects all coming due at the same time could be seen as poor planning or a quirk of fate.
And I suppose that one could argue that it was a lack of discretion that led to my enjoying good Scotch and good company far longer than I should have. But the benefit of experience and awareness is such that I knew that I could find a way to get it all done. Knew that sometimes I work better under pressure.
So when I woke up in desperate need of coffee and some uninterrupted time at the computer I didn’t panic or stress out. I simply sat down and prepared to give these projects a shot of shock and awe. There was only one kink in my plan, one detail that I hadn’t considered.
Or maybe I should rephrase that and say that the kink is 75 pounds of boy, not just any boy, but my first born. He came to me early on and asked if we could have some time to hang out. From business/planning perspective I should have quietly told him no. Should have explained that I couldn’t give up that time because it would require me to be up far too late making up the hours I lost.
It would be a lie to say that I didn’t consider telling him that we couldn’t do it. I did. I thought about it. I didn’t want to be stuck burning the midnight oil to get it all done. But sometimes you need to make like Tom Cruise in Risky Business and say “What The Fuck.” Sometimes you need to adjust your priorities and today was one of those days.
So we made a deal that I would work through the morning and hit the movies to see Megamind and I couldn’t be happier. The two of us of had a great time together. It didn’t hurt that I enjoyed the movie either. Afterwards in spite of my promise not to hit any retailer today we made quick trips to Target and Costco.
He wasn’t thrilled about it and wanted to know why I chose to do it. So I explained that I want to buy a new camera and that being a smart shopper involved a little legwork. I pointed out that we wanted to compare prices and packages. He nodded his head and I could see the wheels spinning.
Now several hours later I am working hard to tie up some loose ends and meet the deadlines that are fast approaching. I am tired and ready for bed, but I wouldn’t change today. The look in his eyes and the smile on his face were well worth it.
He’ll remember this day and know that dad made time for him. It is important because there will be a time where I can’t get away so today will be a good reminder but that is not why I did it. It wasn’t to gain favor for a future moment. It was because we don’t know what the future holds. Things can change overnight so it made sense to take advantage of the moment and we did.
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