From the Daddy Diaries: All I Want For You

There they are. See them?
These are the kids today and someday, they will inherit the earth. By the way, you are part of this and so am I. We are all a part of this. But either way, I see them.They are at the starting line of a new life. They are young and hopeful. They are only old enough to be hopeful because their life has yet to be molested by experience. This means they are still pure.
They are the youth and the future. They are the young hopefuls, entering into a new chapter of life with enough energy to take on the world.

I want to see them try. I want to watch them too. But more, I want to see them put down their handheld devices or their phones. I want to encourage them to abandon their technology—at least for the moment, and I want them to look up and see what the world has to offer them. There’s so much more than what they see on the screen.

There is something I would like to tell you:
You are about to embark on a life-long journey. There will be pitfalls and setbacks and the unexpected tragedies that take place without warning. There is no way to protect you from everything. No one can push a button and have life automatically unfold with a bow around it.
Life comes with cautious moments and cautious people that live cautious lives. They are out there, friends, acquaintances, lovers, enemies and adversaries. It’s all out there. And in this life, you will meet them all. You will meet every kind of person imaginable, which is good. There is no way to bubble-wrap life to keep us protected. So ready or not, here it comes, This is your life. This is your most valuable possession. Nothing in the world is as valuable as your life because without it, all of the money or materials mean nothing.

Be advised that you will hurt and you will love and you will lose and you will heal. There is no escaping life nor is there any way to get out alive. This is it. This is a roller coaster. These are the ups and downs and the days that can literally travel at the speed of light. I say this because commonly, a time will come when the realization hits—and you’ll turn around to see where you are; only to realize how much time has passed. You’ll shake your head because last year seems like it was just yesterday; and then you’ll really shake your head when you realize that your plethora of tomorrows are running thin. There’s a word for this. They call it “Age.”

I want to see you take the next challenge. I want to see you step away from the comforts and dare it all. Dare everything. Most of all; don’t leave anything up to interpretation. Say what you mean and mean what you say. Resist the silence. Speak up. Ask questions and don’t be afraid. Don’t hold your past or even your present. Just be. Just do because judgments can be unfair (especially our own).

No one knew everything. No one started out at the professional level and said, “Hey, look. It’s easy.” Don’t be afraid to fall. Don’t be afraid to fail but more than anything, don’t be afraid to try or be a beginner. Everyone had to start somewhere.

I want to see you face the world. You are at the start, like a wild pony that’s about to take to an open field. There’s no restrictions, no boundaries (except the ones you create) and with no supervision or input from authority, at last, you are on your own.

Don’t look at your parents. Don’t look at the way they are or the way they were. Allow their imperfections to belong to them—erase your biases and let go of your old ideas. This is the new world. Not everyone plays the way you do. Not everyone thinks the way you do or feels the same way. Please remember, the connotation of your words will have a different connotation to someone else.

You are going to meet new people. And this above all is an amazing part of your journey. You will meet new people with a history and culture of their own. You’re going to learn new things. You’re going to see new places. I want you to allow this. I want you to remember that no one in your future is responsible for your past—so don’t hold them accountable for things they had nothing to do with.

I do not want to tell you what to do or which way to go. I want you to see this for yourself. At this point, all I can do is cheer for the best and trust me when I tell you; there’s no one in the world that will cheer for you louder than me.
I want you to find your own niche and create your own patterns. I want you to be happy and more, when you choose what you want to do with your life, I want you to be satisfied because you might be doing this for a long time.

I want you to explore all of your freedoms. I want you to feel the sun on your face and the wind in your hair. Keep in mind, this is your turn. So, enjoy it.The world belongs to you now. I want to urge you to live and not to be afraid. Do not settle. Do not allow yourself to be stuck on a path. Understand that you have the right to change your mind. You have the right to change your opinions. You have the right to take a new direction. You can stop and pause. You can go back or try again. Nothing can stop you from exercising these rights. I want to see you make this a priority. I say this because when age comes along, and believe me, it will; the last thing I want is for you to look back on your life with regret.

Time has a way of diminishing and the windows of opportunity can either vanish or become smaller. I know this all too well. But this is me. And this is not about me. This is about you and your journey. This is about your hopes and your dreams and the zest you feel in your heart. This is about the way you’ll face your changes. This is about the way you will overcome. You will learn. You will create a new family of your own in whichever form you choose.

My wish for you is that you don’t believe in limits.
You just believe in you.

I see you at the starting point and I watch without saying anything. I stay quiet because I do not want to steal another moment that does not belong to me. I stay quiet because this is yours now. This world is all yours and nothing I say or do can change where you are, what you’ll see in life or what will happen.

Here’s something I’d like you to keep in your pocket:
I am not in the fate business;
I’m in the hope business.
And—
I’m not in the outcome business;
I’m in the effort business.
Say this to yourself when life moves in directions that are beyond your control.

I see that you are about to embark on the rest of your life. You have a path to follow. You have dreams. You have wants and needs. You will find love that comes to you in many forms. And you will choose. You will pick. You will look at the world with the best of intentions and change your mind more times than you could possibly imagine.
Above all, do not settle. 
Do not accept any trades that are not worth your value.
Do not trade or forfeit your dreams because this is the pathway to the “Would’ve, could’ve, should’ve,” ideas that sum up in your later years as terms of regret.

Regret nothing. Live for everything. And above all else, please . . .
be happy.

This is all I want for you—