I drink the same healthy drink every morning. My son (Eli) always helps me make it too.
Today, I rip open the small package of green powder. I position the open end over my water bottle.
Eli lifts the unopened end of the package towards the sky and the powder falls into the water.
His eyes widen as he observes the powder disappear. A premature smirk starts to become evident on his cheek.
After the powder stops flowing, he squeezes the package to make sure nothing is left inside.
I close the lid to the water bottle and shake it vigorously. He watches amazed.
After the shaking is done and the fascination with the bubbles has subsided, he grabs the empty package and promises just to smell it.
Being the comedian that he is, he knows what he plans to do.
Without fail, he sticks the open end of the empty package in his mouth and lets out a giggle when I pull it away.
As I start to drink this healthy beverage prepared perfectly by Eli, he pulls his awesome Spiderman chair up to our coffee table.
He moves the bowl of oatmeal closer to the edge. That way he can recline, watch TV, and eat all at the same time.
He had never looked so grown up to me before.
At that moment, I took the above picture.
This Moment
After I took the picture, I thought someone had punched me in the gut. I immediately looked at the clock and knew I had 35 minutes left with him before needing to drive to work.
While putting on my suit and tie, Eli was in the other room still picking at his breakfast and watching cartoons. I pull out my phone and post the following Tweet:
It was a moment of pure emotion and clarity.
I'm on this path, The Sytch, to gain the freedom of time.
At that moment, I wanted to stay there - not brush my teeth or put on my suit. However, I did not feel like I had a choice.
That is what I am after - when I have moments like the above, I want to have the option to remain in them.
The New Series
Not wanting to work has never been a strong motivator for me. Everything I have achieved has required hard work and putting myself in uncomfortable situations.
I do not want to retire in the traditional sense. A better way to phrase it would be to say I want to become work optional.
If most people stepped back and looked at their life, they would see that they want the same.
Never working again has the potential to leave people bored. However, working on things you are passionate about is an entirely different story.
This series will be more of a storytelling experience discussing past, real-life moments that have shaped my current path.
I will use the Time Challenge Series to talk about our financial progress, the Financial Independence Tangents for more FIRE-related material, and the Adulting Is Hard series to break down personal finance concepts into understandable tips.
My Final Thoughts
This blog is going on six months old, and I only see it as the beginning.
This morning, I could not believe that almost 3 years have passed of our son's life. I can never get those 3 years back, but I will always have the memories to look back on. Pictures and videos help too.
For work, I wish I could write, coach football, and practice law on a pro bono basis (accepting money for criminal defense hurts me at my core).
I am not there yet, but one day I will be.
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