Now I know what my father meant
08/01/08 07:22 AM Filed in: Life 101
I was channel surfing this morning and came across a “best of All in the Family” hosted by Henry Fonda. My guess is that it was recorded in the mid 70’s but as I watched clips from this classic show I remembered my dad and mom sitting at home in our house in Westchester (New York) laughing at the genius of the cast and script writers. Even to this day the show stands up to the test of time because of people like Carol O’Connor who played Archie and Rob Reiner who played “meathead”.
Now that I have made the decision to leave my job and have been looking for work for the past 4 weeks I find comfort in the memories of those days. I also find myself asking “where did the time go” and more and more I realize that a lot of time was spent on meaningless jobs in corporate America that did much to age me via the stress they created. I was so busy going to and from work that I often forgot to slow down and watch the sunrise or sunset.
When I was single and had time off I would often take my camera in hand, throw it in the car and head to places unknown to explore and learn. There was the time Joe, Pete and myself walked up a mountain at Killington Vermont because the gondolas were not running. We climbed that mountain and to this day when I think of that hike I say “ouch”. To say that we were all sore after that hike was putting it mildly.
Often I would take the train into Manhattan and walk around the city, taking the A train to the Statin Island Ferry for the best ride in New York. Since I was not dating at the time due to low self-esteem I think that I was looking for myself as much as I was looking to find new things. This of course is long before the era of computers and eMail but through it all if I had a problem my mom and dad were a phone call away.
I found it reassuring to speak to my mother and used to call her almost everyday when she moved to Florida. She would ask how it was going and since at the time I was living from paycheck to paycheck working retail she used to send me a check for $100 every now and then. When I went to visit them my dad remarked that there is something wrong with this country when families are forced to live distances apart and I believe he was right event to this day.
My mom and dad are gone now which is sad more for me because there is sooo much more I wanted to tell both of them. I wanted to let them know that they did a great job raising me and installed the values that they held so dear but most of all I think I just wanted to tell them one more time how much I loved them both and miss those families get togethers around good food and stories.
Eight years ago I entered healthcare marketing and found it rewarding to help people lead a more normal life. Soon I realized that it was not about helping people as much as it was making money and that is probably the biggest reason I left my last job. Life is too damn short to go to work everyday and not make a difference in people’s lives, but most of all life passes to quickly not to take some time to tell those around us how much we love them.
So I hope more people take a sick day, personal day, or a vacation day to spend time with their significant others or family. If just to say I love you but also for the personal memories that will be with us forever.
Character is often described as “having the courage to do what is right even though you are scared”. I did what I thought was right and I am scared about what the future may bring but I will never forget to tell those closest to me how much I love them.
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