I got home later than usual today after a late night meeting for work.
When I arrive, I see my 11-month old daughter having a little trouble sleeping past her bedtime, so I carry her in my arms and lull her to sleep.
It doesn’t take long before she falls asleep, but I stop myself from putting her down too quickly.
I remember that this season won’t last forever and before long Harana will insist on sleeping on a bed of her own. Eventually in a house of her own.
So I hold her for 20 more minutes and enjoy the moment a while longer. Who knows how many more days like this I have left.
A few years ago, as I was entering parenthood, a friend of mine gave me a piece of advice I’ll never forget:
“The days are long but the years are short.”
I seem to have brought that with me even to work. Working with a startup is certainly exciting, but there are plenty of days filled with discouragement and frustration.
Then I think to myself: the days are long but the years are short. So I try—really hard, I should say—to enjoy what I can at the moment, and remember that there are certain things I can only cherish at this specific stage of growth in the company.
I like to race to the finish, and am oftentimes impatient with beginnings. But I’m learning not to rush, and stay in the moment.
In parenthood, marriage, enterprises, any new endeavor, (and even with movies!), beginnings can feel small, slow, tiresome, ugly, messy, and painful.
But don’t despise the day of small beginnings. They pass sooner than you notice. And there’s a lot you might miss.
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