The kids look at me and ask if I am frustrated by the timing of some information I received.
I laugh and say no.
“But dad, the timing sucks and this is going to be a pain-in-our-ass.”
I nod my head and say that is true and then point to a picture of some ruins like the one above and say I am responsible for tearing that structure apart.
“Give me time and I’ll always find a way to tear down the walls that stand in front of me.”
“But dad, what happens when you don’t get time?”
I tell them you never get as much time as you need or want. You just adapt, adjust, pivot and move.
What You Need To Know About Timing
The advantage of having survived a few storms is experience and the knowledge that it can be done.
I tell the kids we all have a perfect record for surviving every bad day and this news is not bad news, it is just irritating.
It is going to require some flexibility and readjusting but it is not bad, if anything it will be the next step onto bigger and better.
The teenager and I speak about it on and off and I tell him I learned a few things long ago.
“I am stubborn and determined and have often found that I can make things work because of nothing more than force of will. But I have also learned we have no control over when somethings happen. Sometimes all we have is our ability to adapt.”
He nods his head and I listen to him pick some of it apart.
“It feels good to try and understand how it works because it makes us think we have more control. Sometimes that is true and sometimes it just doesn’t matter. You have to roll with it. Trust me, I have gotten myself into trouble by using my strength to force the circle into the square. Life is more enjoyable and easier when you learn when to flex your muscles and when to be flexible.”
We say goodnight but I don’t go to sleep because even though I mean and believe all I have said the marbles are rolling around inside my head.
As a natural night owl it is easy for me to stay awake and to take a walk under the night sky to think.
Part of the reason things work out is because we roll with them and part of it is because we manage them.
The trick is figuring out when to do which.
That is really what you need to know about timing.
