Day before overnight camp drop off:
Sitting there with Hunter on the couch with my arm around him, I kissed his head. I love the smell of his thick brown hair; it’s so Hunter. I got a little choked up and said to my number one son, “Man, you’re going to have so much fun up north at camp. Before you know it we will be hanging again, but I can’t believe we won’t see you for two weeks, maybe four if you stay there longer. I love you, homey.” Hunter responds “I love you, too Dad. I’ll probably come home after two weeks, and I’ll miss you so much.” I held my man tight with a tear rolling down my face. What can I say, Nadine and I live for those boys, they are our highest purpose.
Next day: Drop off day:
We loaded up the bed of our Chevy Silverado with Hunter’s duffle bags, packed all three boys into the back seat, and off we went to the drop-off spot where the parents watch their children board the busses to camp. While it was a day I knew would eventually come, it was still somewhat surreal. Hunter strolled over to the bus smiling and was super chill about the whole thing which made it a little easier. Some parents weren’t so lucky: we saw kids throwing up, running away from the bus and some parents had to carry their kids aboard, making my heart sink. Hunter, he just sat there with his boy, Hudson Rosner, front row of the bus cool as could be. I’m not going to lie, I miss that kid, and things seem abnormally quiet in our home, but it’s so great to let him grow up and expand his horizons.
Driving Away:
I thought to myself as we pulled away, how wild it is that we’ve fought many fights in business that have little effect other than an occasional curse word. With what’s quickly moving to three decades of hardened business experience in several industries, I’ve become calmer, more patient, tougher, smarter, and much less emotional about it. You learn that business is a game in the end. You work hard to leave nothing on the court, to fight your best fight. Then you get to go home, and that is where life begins. Rarely do I allow business to shake me up, yet two days packing up and dropping Hunter at camp had me in a whirlwind of emotions. Funny how that works.
You might be asking yourself “What’s the big takeaway D Farbz”? Well, I think it goes something like this…
You can work as hard as you want and accomplish all sorts of success, whatever that looks like for you. You’re going to have wins, and you’ll have losses. You’re going to have career days that seem like the end of the world. News flash, they’re not. They are just bad days. That sun will rise again the next morning. What matters is family.
My takeaway for you is to get real with family, mend the wounds, say the things that must be said. Don’t hold back in your expressions of love to those that mean the most to you. You never know when The Bus from above is coming. I assure you that when it does arrive for you or someone close to you, you won’t be talking about that shitty day in business. And from my family to yours, have an amazing Fourth of July in the greatest country in the world!
#familyrocks
