Good question… I’m sure that I don’t have all of the answers. But that won’t stop me from taking a shot.
A while ago, I started writing down some things that I’ve learned or am learning which I want to pass along to my boys, I’m now calling these things ‘principles.’ By writing down these principles, I’ve found that it keeps them closer to the forefront my mind, and as we all know, it is difficult to teach something that you don’t remember. As a brief aside (yeah, I realize that a rabbit trail this early in the game does not bode well for clear and well focused writing, but if that’s what you’re after, this might not be your jam), if you know me at all, you’ll likely know that I can form some strong opinions, and while many of them are objectively defensible, some are less so (examples: I really despise straws, I really like using parenthetical expression).
Next up: recently I’ve taken up reading books on a more frequent basis, novel, right? (Can’t believe I already dropped a pun on day 1) Anyway, I’m finding that when I read a really good book, the best way for me to retain the good stuff is to tell others about it, and when I don’t, I forget. Solution: gather my highlights and notes and summaries and thoughts here, and maybe they will be of some usefulness to someone else.
What else? Well, it is easy to get caught up in the chaos, exhaustion, and busyness of kids, that the prospect of having adventures (defined by me as: doing things out of the ordinary) is pretty daunting. I don’t want that to stop me. I plan to capture the good and the bad of each adventure, maybe it will make it easier on you and me in the future.
I think I could keep going, but here’s the answer in summary: I want to be a good husband, dad, and human, but that doesn’t come naturally to me. Instead it requires thoughtfulness, intentionality, reflection, and lots of grace. I’m going to write down what I’m doing and learning to aid in the progress and to keep track of some memories. I invite you to follow along and join the pursuit as well.
“Nothing that you have not given away will be really yours...”
–C. S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
-Q
Dad in Real Life 