Bless The Children

The two songs of the moment are Can’t Find My Way Home and Tales of Brave Ulysses, but the latter is the one that really speaks to me right now.

Two more sleeps and then I’ll pack up the car and head out in search of the newest adventure. Two more sleeps and I’ll hug my children tightly and promise that we’ll see each other again soon because we will.

But for now I can’t stay and they can’t go.

Tales of Great Grandparents

More than a hundred years ago my great grandparents set sail from the old country to a place called America because they heard it was a place where dreams could come true and they wanted it.

They left family behind so they could find out if the stories were true. They came with little more than the clothes on their back to a foreign land where they didn’t speak English and relied upon the occasional letter to stay in touch.

So who I am I to complain about having to be separated for a bit. Who am I to complain about these things when we can Skype, email, text or talk by telephone.

Don’t Go Dad

They tell me they think this a bad idea and say there are other ways to do things. They tell me I am breaking their heart and ask me why I can’t work from a remote office like i have been doing for so long now.

I smile and explain why, do my best to reassure them because that is what they need.

And then I tell them I have to go because it is the right thing to do and that when opportunity knocks sometimes you need to drop what you are doing and find out what it is all about.

They don’t know how I was waiting for the click and how I just knew it was coming. They don’t know how long I have been working for this or how satisfying it feels to me to see things materialize.

I Am Nervous Too

I am nervous too. New beginnings are often a mix of excitement with a small dose of anxiety. But I am confident this is the right move and that I am doing precisely what has to be done.

So I look at the kids and ask them if they know what my favorite song is from Fiddler on The Roof.

Blessing My Children

Every week I bless my children. It is not solely religious in nature either. I do it because of the connection. I do it because even though they question whether there is any “supernatural effect” it provides a certain level of comfort for them and for me.

Some things don’t have to make sense, they just have to be.

I suppose some of it comes back to the advice I give and to my trying to be consistent in following my own advice. So I tell them not to over think change and to just roll with whatever comes down the path.

Of course whenever I say that I picture myself with a Fedora and a bullwhip, nothing stops Indiana Jack. You can slow him down, make him take the long way home but you can’t stop him.

And now if you’ll excuse me there is a story that is dying to be written and I am just the man to do it. See you later.

P.S. Yes, I know that transition wasn’t as smooth as some of you would like but I don’t care. Life isn’t always smooth either, sometimes you hit a bumpy road or slam on the brakes because some crazy cyclist cut you off.

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4 Comments

  1. Gina January 29, 2013 at 4:10 am

    Good luck, Jack. Travel safely. Ten deep breaths. Embrace the change (which I know you will).

  2. Betsy Cross January 29, 2013 at 3:58 am

    Trust your gut, is all I can say. In the face of important decisions others’ emotions and opinions can sway us and distract us. And in the end we have to be able to live with our decisions, so they had better be all ours!
    Good luck!

    • Jack January 29, 2013 at 6:35 pm

      Hi Betsy,

      The gut says “go” and that is what I am doing. I am doing my best to listen to the good inner voice that has my back and not to the whispers.\

      I feel pretty good about it all.

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