Fatherhood is like pie. Mmmm... pie.
As we near Thanksgiving, I thought I'd talk in terms of deliciousness. Your Aunt Betty's pumpkin pie only comes around once a year, so you better make the most of it while you can. Unfortunately, we don't have access to endless amounts of pie. If we did, life would be awesome... and fat. But mostly awesome.
Much like pie, we also have a finite amount time in a day to be a dad. Like we slice up our delicious pie, we use up our 24 hours. Once it's gone, it's gone.
What we cram into a day is a slice out of our fatherhood pie. We take out a slice for work, hobbies and sleeping. How big is the slice of pie you've left for your family? Are they getting a generous portion of your time or are they getting stuck with a tiny sliver of what's left over?
Where are your hours going? Who is getting the benefit of you? If you work 8 hours a day then a large slice of your pie is going to work. Slice up another 2 for your commute. If you run before work and meet the guys for happy hour, there go another 3 hours. You're close to crushing someone else's clan, so you've sliced up an hour to your phone. But then you check your work email and there's been a crisis, so there's another hour. Add in 8 hours of sleep and that leaves you with 60 minutes for family. You've given the best of yourself to everyone but your family. So here's your day in a pie chart. (See what I did there.)
Do the most important people in your life get the best, largest piece of your time? Make a list of the people who need you the most and make yourself available to them. Don't worry with trying to look good to the boss by responding to emails at 11:30 at night. You need your rest so that you can do your best when you clock in tomorrow morning. Focus on those who love you no matter what and slice up more time for them.
I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving. May it be filled with love, generosity and of course, pie. Give thanks to God for those you have in your life. Make sure you serve up a generous slice of your time to them.
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