12.21.2014
I have cherished the moments leading to this milestone, but there is sadness in letting go of these little things that are now too small for our little girl. A reminder that all things are fleeting. My friend Chris encouraged me not long ago to get in the gritty details of parenting early and enjoy them as the early stages won't last long. Another friend, Dwayne, a few weeks later, suggested we just do the things we have been putting off and learn to enjoy the now. I'm reminded of Pirsig's quote:
“To the untrained eye ego-climbing and selfless climbing may appear identical. Both kinds of climbers place one foot in front of the other. Both breathe in and out at the same rate. Both stop when tired. Both go forward when rested. But what a difference! The ego-climber is like an instrument that’s out of adjustment. He puts his foot down an instant too soon or too late. He’s likely to miss a beautiful passage of sunlight through the trees. He goes on when the sloppiness of his step shows he’s tired. He rests at odd times. He looks up the trail trying to see what’s ahead even when he knows what’s ahead because he just looked a second before. He goes too fast or too slow for the conditions and when he talks his talk is forever about somewhere else, something else. He’s here but he’s not here. He rejects the here, he’s unhappy with it, wants to be farther up the trail but when he gets there will be just as unhappy because then *it* will be “here”. What he’s looking for, what he wants, is all around him, but he doesn’t want that because it *is* all around him. Every step’s an effort, both physically and spiritually, because he imagines his goal to be external and distant.”