Directions

As an expert in the art of daddying, I decided it was time to teach my 5 year-old Sihasin about the cardinal directions. We were on our sweet spray-painted daddy-daughter bike and it went something like this:

Dad: Let’s talk about opposites. What’s the opposite of down?

Sihasin: Up

Dad: And what’s the opposite of cold?

Sihasin: Hot

Dad: Okay, well when we face toward the mountains, we are going east. And when we face away from the mountains, we are going west. East and west are opposites. Got it.

Sihasin: Got it, dad.

Dad: So, when we bike this way, toward the mountains, which way are we going?

Sihasin: Straight.

Mic drop. (Or bike drop? Dad joke!)

 

As you can see, being a daddying “expert” does not mean my children will give me the answer I am looking for. Rather, an expert simply becomes less surprised when answers like “straight” are given.

Daddy knew to smile and resist the urge to correct. Instead, I spent a few moments quieting my inner voice that was saying “wrong answer” before it could rise to an audible response.

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Today, life may give you a similarly surprising answer. An answer that at first seems completely wrong.

But maybe it is completely right.

Maybe it is a moment to find space and place to listen…

And then listen deeper to what the answer and the person giving the answer may be saying.

It may be life sharing a gem that you need.

And when you walk/run/bike/dance toward the beautiful Sandia mountains today, remember Sihasin’s teaching: You are heading straight.