I Love My Family. My Life… no so much.

Recently I was sitting in my favorite chair contemplating life. My son, his wife, and their son had spent a few hours with us that day and had left not long before. As I looked at the baby swing sitting in the corner of our living room I thought, “I love my life.”

Then I got up at 4:30 for work…

As I prepared for work and then drove the 45-55 minute commute I couldn’t help but think of how much I didn’t love my life. Reflecting on what was going on that evening just a day or two before, I thought about what I was feeling. As I did, it occurred to me that what I was actually feeling was love for my family, not my life.

I love my family

I love my family more than I could possibly explain on this page. I have not been a perfect father, but I must have done a few things right because our son still wants to come over and still enjoys spending time with his dad. My son is 23 years old and still calls me daddy, even in public. I must have done something right.

But, it’s not just him. As parents, we hope and pray for our children to find good spouses. Our son certainly did. His wife has felt like part of the family since the day they started dating. She was able to handle us from the beginning and, if I’m honest, we are a lot to handle. Together, they have brought us our first grandchild. If you have grandchildren, you know what I’m feeling. If you don’t, just trust me, it’s pretty cool.

Our daughter is pretty amazing. Like so many girls, she is daddy’s girl. Even as a teenager, she’s still sweet. She may be fulfilling the contract that she signed for me when she was like 8 or 10 years old, but whatever the reason is, I’ll take it. 

No discussion of my family would be complete without talking about my wonderful wife. I like to tell people that we are basically a Disney movie. We met as teenagers and are living happily ever after. She was my high school sweetheart. I was 15 and she was 14 when we started dating. I really do feel like something out of a Disney movie, or a Hallmark Christmas special. Our relationship is not perfect and hasn’t always been easy, but it is really pretty awesome.

My life… not so much

I don’t hate my life, by any means. But, if I’m honest, there are a few things in my life that I don’t like. 

As I thought about this during my 45-50 minute commute, I realized that much of where my life was today was not by design. I had allowed most of my life to just kinda happen to me. 

Sure, there were parts of my life that were designed. After all, you don’t collect college degrees like Ash Ketchum catching Pokemon, by accident. Yet things like my physical health, finances, and even, for a large part, my relationships were pretty much on autopilot. The results have been kinda messy.

BUT THERE’S GOOD NEWS

The great thing is that my life ain’t over and, so long as I’m breathing I have an opportunity to change. In the 6 Pillars of Life, you and I can make a difference, no matter how far we’ve gone from where we want to be. If you’re not familiar with the 6 Pillars, check out this blog post, or go deeper with my book, The Restored Nurse, available on Amazon.

It really isn’t too late to get started building a life you’ll love and I’d love to help.