Half the Battle

To my son Tommy,

      Every morning I wake up in bed between 6:00 am and 6:30 am and think today I will get an extra hour (or half hour or 15 minutes of sleep).  You see recently your father has not only committed writing to you daily, but has also committed to going to daily mass.  for the past 5 weeks I have been going to 7:00 mass at St. Agnes everyday (except Saturdays I just go to afternoon confessions and Sundays I usually hit 9:00 mass) and after going straight to work.  So each and every day for the past month or so, I thought to myself "Hey if I skip mass I can sleep for another hour and still get to work at my usual time".  Mass is not required daily, no one makes me do it but myself, so skip it right?

 

   I am not going to lie to you, the lure of extra sleep is tempting and hard to resist.  It would be so easy to just stay in bed.  It is easy to ignore that clock, to hit the snooze button, to not wake up or even if I wake up not commit to getting myself up and going and out of the house.  But I am going to let you in on a secret of life, one your father didn't realize till he was much much older and one he didn't really take advantage of till probably about a month ago.

    Waking up, getting out of bed, and showing up is half the battle!

   That is it.  One of those secrets of life that is so simple it becomes elusive.  It is so basic but yet still so hard to do.  If you wake up, don't waste time lying in bed wishing for more sleep.  Get up, get in the shower, brush your teeth, take a vitamin, get a glass of water, get some coffee in you or whatever you daily morning routine is, get dressed and get ready to go and then GO!  Too many people wake up and move from the bed to the couch and remain in a zombie like state .  Too many people never fully commit to being awake and embracing the dawning of the new day.  So embrace it and commit to living that day.  Look in the mirror, clap your hands once loudly and say "I AM HAVING A GREAT DAY".  Not "I am going to have", or "I had", nothing in the past or future but in the present "I AM HAVING".  Then get out of the house, go for a walk, go to church, go to the gym,  Pick something that YOU want to do not something like work where your time to show up is mandated by someone else. I choose to go to church and thank God for the gift of the new day.  Hopefully, if I do my job as a Catholic father, you will consider doing the same.  But whatever you choose for your morning start, don't choose nothing.

     Now I am not saying that an occasional day spent in your pajamas and doing nothing is wrong.  Those days can be quite special especially if you have someone great to share them with.  But make those the exception not the rule and they become that much more treasured.

    SO why the change in your old man recently.  You are my muse and inspiration for the change.  Yes you are the teacher here!  Your mother informed that every morning when you wake up and come down the stairs you say "Wow Mommy! Look at all those toys!"  as if it were Christmas or as if they were old friends you haven't seen in ages.  To be so grateful, to be so excited and energetic, to attack the new day with such passion.  You can't wait to start playing with your toys and you can't wait for what the new day brings.  So once again, you have educated your dad and inspired him to commit to living each day with the joy, passion, excitement, and gratefulness of a 3 year old boy.

Sincerely with love from your dad,

Leo