Father's Day

Happy Belated Father’s Day to all!  I hope all Dads had the opportunity to spend time with their children and the day was full of accolades.

Admittedly yesterday was not the easiest for me.  I am a divorced dad and I have two incredible and amazing young daughters.  Unfortunately I did not get to spend yesterday with my daughters as they both headed off to summer camps for a week.  It is a great experience, they love the camps, and I am truly happy for them.  However it did sadden me that I didn’t get to be with them.  As a divorced dad, my time with them is already limited and yesterday just added to my missing them every day.

So what did I do yesterday?  Well I was able to speak with one of my daughters and that was simply lovely.  I did a rigorous workout (triathalon) which made me feel better, and told some close friends how I was feeling, which always seems to help.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not playing the sympathy card, I’m just a dad who simply misses his daughters and even more so yesterday.  However I do bring this up because even on Father’s Day, many people need to feel they are not alone.  Broken relationships, divorced dad’s, those who fathers have passed away and the list goes on, can create feelings of loneliness on this special day.  And it's not just Father’s Day, but just about every holiday or birthday or really any life experience that can create this feeling of loneliness.  I truly believe every life experience is better when we know we are not alone. When you want to celebrate something, you want friends and family around to join in.  When you are experiencing a difficult moment in life you want to be supported by others.  Life is about connecting with others whether family, friends or even strangers.  Maybe it's something as simple as a phone call from your son or daughter, a visit by friends, grabbing a beer with a buddy, someone telling you they understand and they know the current situation is difficult for you, holding one’s hand or getting a hug, a pat on the back, etc, etc, etc.  You get the point.  If everyone could be a little more understanding or empathetic, acknowledge what someone else is going through, so much loneliness could be eliminated.

So as you go about your day, remember to share these four words with another, “You Are Not Alone”.

YANA,

Wayne