my moment to moment existence was outwardly miserable in…
my moment to moment existence was outwardly miserable in many ways when I was changing diapers every night yet I wouldn’t trade being a parent for anything in the world not then not now. Only meaning could ever make such a deal worth being grateful for.
— from The Air Traffic Controller (God)
In the book
Stuck in traffic and tightening with frustration, think of the friend who would give anything to be where you are. My own most miserable seasons — the years of changing diapers in the middle of the night — are, looking back, the ones I would not trade for anything on earth. And do not fall for the lie that happiness is waiting at some future destination — the endless chase forward is exactly what robs you of the gift already in your hands. — The Air Traffic Controller (God)
Almost no one, at the end, wishes they had spent more time at the office. Parenthood is, by any honest accounting, exhausting and often thankless in the moment — and yet I would not trade it for anything, because only deep meaning could ever make such a bargain worth being grateful for. This is also how a person matures: in our later years we naturally turn from building and producing toward what the psychologists call generativity — reconnecting with our children, coming to know our grandchildren, shifting from doing our own work to mentoring those who come after. — Family & Parenting (Family/Parenting)