The Best Advice I Ever Got

Don’t wish it away.

That advice was given to me shortly after my first child. I don’t remember the exact context. It was either me complaining about changing diapers or me dreaming about how great it will be when my kid can go fishing with me. Either way, the response came, “don’t wish it away.” The words struck a cord.

“You’re right,” I thought. I’m going to enjoy this. Every minute of it.

Fast forward 15 years. Today, as I’m driving my daughter to school, I maintained the usual routine of planning my day. I thought through my schedule and my to-do list.

“Thank God,” I thought, we’re early! Now, I’ll be able to get even more done today. But, Annika had other plans.

“Why are we so early?” she questioned.

“I’m not going in yet,” she exclaimed as she reached to turn up the volume on the radio. There I was, trapped. Stuck with my daughter, unable to get on with my day.

Thankfully, as she reached for that knob, I heard that voice in my head saying “don’t wish it away.” I spent the next ten minutes with that wonderful girl, just enjoying her company.

Of course, there are many moments that we wish away. When we run at break-neck speed, the time with our clients becomes a chore. We look for every opportunity to speed up the meeting. When the appraiser calls, we become annoyed and frustrated that we have to do all the thinking for them. “Just get through it,” we think. Tomorrow, it will get better.

Rushing through meetings, phone calls and conversations are more examples of wishing it away. We think that the sooner we get out of it, the sooner we can start our future. Sadly, the future never arrives. The joy, it turns out, is right here, right now in this moment.