Live Urban's Conference TableCenterpiece.
Last night, I waited in line at Pinkberry's with daughters Gina and Laura along with two of Laura's closest friends. We discussed Gina's upcoming trip to a friend's wedding while Laura and friends talked about their pending departures to colleges across the West. I can't say the 45 minutes in line and the $20 worth of frozen yogurt was worth it, but I soon realized the time spent on a perfect Colorado evening with the four of them was far more valued. Lessons of fatherhood are confirmed on such nights. Their spirit, humor, and hope about the future were woven into conversation and laughter. For me, it validated so many days and moments of parenting; the true gift on this Father's Day.
I recently was reminded of one of life's lessons that only arise from the words of a kid. This awakening to the real truth of life was discovered as I tried to teach Gina the nuances of Tee ball some 21 years ago. The memory was brought back as I sat at the conference table at our Live Urban Real Estate office yesterday. There, three small baseball gloves are laid out symmetrically, the true icons of summer.
So many evenings in my life were spent watching and coaching little ones whose hats often slipped over their eyes in the most inappropriate moment. In Tee ball, the true competitive advantage lies not in the careful swing of the bat but the7 to 12 seconds that follow. For 6 year-old females playing the game for the first time, the distance between home plate and first base was merely a stage to perfect the combination of run, skip, and even a few pirouettes along the way. The solitary performance always ended with a clear and definitive planting of both feet onto first base. All the theatrical moves merely insured any ball would be easily gathered up and delivered to first base long before the batter's dance was finished. The painful outcome to such artistic perfection in running the bases was often called. OUT!
Teaching to run fast and hard through the base was the lesson of the day (Not to limit this to gender, I later realized the challenge for my son was to teach him NOT to slide into first base, regardless of how cool it looked.) For Gina, the concept of running through the base was arrived at after 45 minutes of repetition and explanation. We high- fived each other as she delivered a solid run through the bag and gained new insights into the game. As I started to mention the same strategy could not work on her run to second base, her look of horror captured the reality of it all..
And so it is in life. There is always a second base. Our congratulatory achievements shared at one stage of life are often followed by yet another challenge and a whole new skill set. This lesson replays itself often through the days as parents, as coaches, and all the professional facets of our life. Fathers and mothers alike sit and wonder if our kids will ever get it. then, on a perfect Saturday night on the eve of Father's Day, it becomes clear. We are the true benefactors of such instances and insights. Both parents and kids become the sum of so many lessons uncovered in such small moments. There is faith about days to come that trumps everything from heartaches to headlines. I could only smile as I listened to them share life and twenty bucks worth of yogurt. It is the best gift for a Dad.
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