Today, this afternoon, Rosie, my youngest daughter, second child, graduates from Sheffield Hallam University.
I know she reads the blog, so well done, Rosie. We're really proud of you. You did good.
And so, I worked this morning (didn't train). I've got a cold at the moment, and it's that thing where I want to go and train even though I've got a cold, but I did on Sunday, and it set me back 2 days. And so I'm struggling with the business of not doing anything, yet knowing that I don't do anything, because if I do something, it will make me do nothing for longer.
And so I worked this morning, not quite the same as yesterday, which was the first and inaugural ‘Daddy Doggy Day’, where I worked from home all day Monday but lit the log burner at 9 a.m. in the morning, and sat with my two dogs for the whole day, smashing at work without being disturbed, (many more of those to come in my life and many more of those to come whenever I manage to sort out the garden room at my new house).
But no, today I just worked in front of the log burner, which is burnt out with no logs in it—just ash —and got lots of stuff done until about 12:30 pm. And then I shut off, at least that's my intention as I write this with 6 minutes to go to shut down. Shut off completely and do not think about anything to do with work; just think about the celebration of Rosie's graduation.
Think about where we might have been, given all the hurdles our family faced in many different ways over many years (like every other family). Briefly think of how we might not have got here, and then think that we did, and then be enthusiastic, inspired, and driven to the future.
It's really important, isn't it, that we can take time to do this; it's really important that we can celebrate.
Last night I went to cinema club for 2 or 3 hours with Stuart, that's my minor monthly celebration of cinema. Tomorrow I might be able to ride my bike with Alex, just first thing in the morning, that's my weekly celebration of bike riding.
Today is a bigger one. Rosie’s thing. Our thing, but that's not to say that when we finish the celebration, we don't get back to work. One of the issues that happens for a lot of people these days is that they want the celebrations to last forever, and they don't think that they have to work to get the good times.
I think it's actually the contrast between both of these things.
The hard work for a purpose, the overcoming, the obstacles, the saving them for a rainy day, waiting till later for gratification and then enjoying the extraordinary success that you inevitably get in family life, before returning to work hard again towards the next success.
You can't eat Deliveroo and watch Netflix every day of your life, or you can, but it will be a miserable life.
Blog Post Number - 4344