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She’s sleeping now. This means I have approximately one hour to write, edit, post, and share this story.
Rory is my greatest teacher. Although she’s only (almost) two, she’s my spiritual guru. She’s more enlightened than anyone I know.
When I look into her eyes, I see how incredibly honest she is. There’s zero trace of emotional baggage. Every negative emotion is hashed out and released into the ether from which it came.
Fatherhood is a spiritual journey.
It’s not to be discounted.
There are dragons to be slayed (both emotional and physical). You will be tested. Your little one is like a huge mirror reflecting back at you all of your insecurities, weaknesses, and flaws. She knows which buttons to push.
As fathers, we have only two choices. To (A) use these moments as opportunities to break down these emotional blocks, or (B) run from them and hope they never show up again.
Unfortunately, many fathers choose B. Being a father is downright scary.
But the rewards from path A are beyond measure. No amount of money could bring me more joy than a smile, hug, giggle, or kiss from my little girl. And when I look at my wife, I’m constantly amazed by how this little miracle worker came through us and into our lives. If I were to run from the dragons, I’d be further and further from the spoils of the higher path of fatherhood.
So, fathers—here’s to our children. May we stay in the battle and raise the consciousness of our fellow father travelers so as to make way for a better world for our kids and for ourselves.
She just woke up. Gotta go.
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This post was originally published on medium.com, and is republished here with the author’s permission.
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Photo credit: Caleb Jones on Unsplash