Family, are you existing or are you living it?

 

 

Over the last 20 years my family and I have experienced some really great times as well as some big challenges. As tough as some times were we always managed to keep our heads up and move forward seeing the light at the end of the tunnel. Today we are the family we are because we did not let anything or anyone break us.

When my wife and I became proud parents of our oldest daughter, I was spending so much time working and traveling that I rarely had the time to sit with our daughter and live in the moment. I was the bread winner and it was all about making more and more money so we could one day reap the benefits of all that hard work and time away from the family.

The problem was, I was not present, I was not enjoying and reaping the benefits of what life was all about, my family! No matter how much money we had or did not have, that did not matter to my family because they were always happy when I was home and I was not traveling. They wanted the mornings to last all day so we could lie around and snuggle! I missed all those signs telling me to stop chasing the big dream because I already had the big dream.

I was existing! I thought I was living the dream but the reality was, I wasn’t. I was always focused on what was happening next rather than sitting and being present. Being present was not an option because in my mind there was always something to do when it came to work. I was never settled, I was always in motion and I thought this was natural. To make matters worse I can now look back and see that my parents & my wife were always dropping hints about relaxing and enjoying what I have.

Today I am happy to say that as a family we are in a great place. Our time together now is about enjoying each other and not letting the outside forces interfere with what we want out of each day! I am also excited to see our three children living every day for what its worth. They take advantage of the sunrises and sunsets, staying healthy and happy and I look forward to the day that they can pass that on to their children.