Lessons learned from my Father

Happy Father’s Day to all you fathers out there! Today is a great day to celebrate our dads and acknowledge all that they have done for and taught us throughout the years. More and more I am realizing the habits that I have taken from my father and the wisdom that he demonstrated. It is a rule in life that you can’t admit this until you are older and wiser J Here is a list of 20 things that my dad has lived and showed me.

1. Drink coffee..but not too much!


2. Tough times don’t last, but tough people do


3. You always have to be willing to laugh at yourself. Do not take yourself too seriously.


4. Find what topics light people up, their interests, and ask them about it.


5. Have a sense of adventure, travel, experience, try new things!


6. The importance of physical activity, get outside, it is good to move. (I was running track in kindergarten!)


7. Help others help you


8. Successful people do what unsuccessful people won’t do


9. The value of an education, in school and by gaining experience in the “real world”


10. Work hard, play hard. Go on vacations!


11. The value and importance of work—Do what you love, love what you do.


12. Travel is important, you have to be willing to step outside your comfort zone to see and experience new things


13. The importance of being a team player


14. You are never too old to learn or try something new


15. The value of a good power nap


16. Err on the side of conservative (didn’t like this one when I was young!): be thoughtful, mindful when taking risks.


17. Dance, be silly, laugh!


18. Watch television in moderation


19. You have to show some grit in life, you can always change your situation


20. Make mistakes, laugh at them, but learn from them

These are just a few lessons that I picked up from my dad. He has lots of sayings, things that I will use for the rest of my life.

What are some lessons or quotes passed on from your father?

Life Transition: Lessons Learned

[caption id="attachment_5578" align="alignnone" width="420" caption="\"Baby Jada\""][/caption]Today is my second day back from maternity leave, and so far it’s been a smooth transition back into the working world.  As I learned also with my first little girl, you can try and try, but there is no way to truly understand all the ways your life will change when you bring a new addition to your family.  Of course there are the “not-so-fun” changes, like waking up 3 and 4 times a night to a hungry baby, diapers that need to be changed, or the trouble a toddler gets into as a cry for the attention she used to always have.  That said, all these things never seem to outweigh the pure joy, love, and happiness you receive when you look at that baby’s smile and happy eyes.  It is a transition time for the whole family – a major event that each family member will always remember.  I’ve found it’s also a time that requires a lot of patience and flexibility.  Here are the lessons I’ve learned, or maybe I should say “reviewed”, over the past few weeks:

 

1.   Be in the moment

We cannot change the past, so don’t revel in it.  Our search for happiness should not only be in the future, as we never know how much “future” we have.  There is no better teacher than an infant child in showing us how important this life lesson is – no grudges, no worries, and a genuine happiness and pureness that is rarely seen elsewhere.  It may be impossible to have a life (an adult life) with no grudges or no worries, but it doesn’t hurt to strive for that!

 

2.   You’ve got to have “structured flexibility”

Anyone who’s been around children knows that they thrive when they have a routine.  There’s a time for eating, a time for play, a time for reading, a time for bath, a time for bed… and so the cycle goes.  But sometimes, one person’s routine does not mesh with another’s.  For too many nights I found myself saying, “what time is it?” and the answer was “Hala’s bath time, Jada’s fussy/cuddling time, parents’ dinner time… and all an hour behind.”  You can’t just throw up your hands and say “I quit.”  You make adjustments and carry on, and let go of the thought that it wasn’t the seamless evening you had planned.