Forty-Seven and Twenty-Five and Nine
Credit: Tattly
Every cliche you've ever been told about time is true.
They grow up too fast. Yesterday was my eldest daughter's ninth birthday. Nine! Halfway to college. Halfway out the door. But she still climbs into my lap every night before bedtime and snuggles while I sing her favorite songs. She even did it last night at Yankee Stadium midway through the soccer match. Each time I try to appreciate it anew. She'll become a teen soon enough and the space aliens are going to come and take my sweet little girl away. Stay present. One day you'll blink and the kids will be out the door.
Time goes faster as you get older. Saturday was my twenty-fifth high school reunion. Twenty-five! What the heck happened? Over half my life has passed since that nerdy kid with an afro got his diploma. It's funny... some people look exactly the same and others require a triple take to recognize. Feelings rush in at these events. On the one hand, you can taste all your old insecurities. On the other, the past is, well, the past, and I've grown up. Stay present. Wake up every morning determined to be a better version of yourself than yesterday.
Life is short... embrace every second and laugh often. I did not know David Goldberg, but anytime someone passes before their time, a parent has to bury a child, or children have to grow up without a parent, it is cause for reflection. Forty-seven! Too damn young. As my tech-laden Twitter feed filled up with tributes to him, my heart invariably turned from his kids and family to the family members we have lost along the way, and then to my kids. There aren't enough hugs and kisses and squeezes in the world at moments like these. Stay present. Make sure your children are secure in your love every single minute of every single day. They deserve to carry that with them the rest of their lives.
