I’m far from perfect, in fact sometimes it feels like I make mistakes at an alarming rate. But not today. My girl let me know the car she was driving was giving a low tire pressure alert. So I grabbed my handy dandy Ryobi portable Air Compressor and began reading the tire to figure out what pressure it needed. Than it hit me. I stopped, put everything down and called out my son. I took the time to show him how to read the tires required pressure. Then walked him through how to use the compressor to fill up the tires.
I knew it was coming. I’ve been there before so like my father did for me I patiently waited. He’s not in double digits yet so I was pretty pleased with how long he held out. Just when he was starting to get bored and frustrated. I said, “hey buddy? Do you know what you’re doing right now?” Confused, he looks up at me “uhhh yeah, filling up a tire?” “No, buddy, you’re keeping your mom, your sister and you safe. I know stuff like this is tedious but it’s super important and it can make the difference between getting somewhere safe and not.” The lightbulb going on expression, as an old teacher used to call it and the smile on his face that followed told me he picked up everything I was trying to put down.
Sure it took a little longer, but I know he has one more skill. And a new sense of pride in achieving that skill. He's got a new understanding of the importance of paying attention to the little things.
I missed so much of his early life, working to get ahead in a company that folded up shop and moved out of state. All the time and effort I put in thinking I was sacrificing to get ahead and put my family in a better place wasted. All I did was miss out on them the very thing I was trying to embetter. I'll never get those moments or opportunities back. Sometimes you just don't have a choice. Trust me, I get it. Our system has been rigged against us, against the family. Allot of Americans don't get both or any weeekend days off to be with their families. Let alone more than two weeks vacation per year. So when you do have that choice. Don't let a "it's just a quick job I'll just do it myself" opportunity to teach a thing slip by. To spend another few minutes even just reenforcing a skill, sure it might make the job take a little longer. But with a little patience and humility it could end up being a time, a story both of you won't forget.
James
The Lowered HMFIC
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