It has been a little more quiet than usual as I
continue to work from home virtually. There are no cries for attention from
Annabelle, and Lisa no longer comes into my office every twenty minutes to tell
me “something really important,” which usually are matters that can wait.
However, with silence, I definitely miss the company of the joyful noises
previously heard with my family in residence. During the holidays, depending on
your life situation, the laughter and smiles present can often outweigh the evident
hardships in front of you.
Annabelle started her first week of daycare on
Tuesday, and my wife, Lisa returned to work four days a week. While I was
apprehensive about the transition, giving my daughter over to a stranger we kind
of know, there have been some silent tears since not having Annie home every
waking moment. The streams of tears mainly involve Lisa but maybe me a little,
too. Lost in the luxury of being home full-time for three months, Lisa has been
a little distraught to say the least. Graduate school and my jobs, while trying
to build new relationships, keeps me consumed in this new transition in
Knoxville, just recently moving from Nashville. After starting a new job,
moving to a new city, having a baby, and starting my doctorate degree all in
the same month, small changes seem a little less intimidating. It is now more a
matter of adjustment when those small changes come my way. We also miss our community
of friends and family in Nashville as well.
I definitely miss my little girl, especially the sweet
smell of her bald head just below my chin when holding her. When someone
special to you is suddenly around you a little less often, then perhaps you
realize just how dear that special someone is to you. Unfortunately, some
individuals have to learn this lesson the hard way when someone is gone
forever. Thankfully, my daughter is just taking a day trip to her daycare
school during the weekdays.
Life often develops into what a person chooses to
focus on, for better or worse, based on how you view your own circumstances.
While Lisa or I could complain about certain situations or things we do not
like, constantly missing our little girl, I would rather remember each blessed
second, minute, and hour I get to spend with my daughter. If I keep viewing
life as a journey of what I am missing, rather than the grateful moments I am
getting, then I will probably turn into an Ebenezer Scrooge myself. In other
words, you become what you focus your attention on.
Rather than diminishing those hours Annabelle is at
daycare, I am thankful we have good people looking after her so Mom and Dad can
work. While my personal time with Annie is a little less than previous weeks,
that recent change also makes me value the moments I have with her that much
more than before. I am not losing anything, per se. My routine is just
changing, and dependent on how I choose to see that change, it can be a
positive or negative experience.
God granted Lisa with three full months of maternity
leave and some real quality time with family. That obvious truth is a fact and
blessing I choose not to ignore, and I am convinced with Annabelle present that
we will have the best Christmas season ever experienced. The focus will not be
on me, as it often is. It will be focused on our little baby girl. I will not
be Ebenezer Scrooge! Instead, I will be a Santa version of a Turbo Tail Tigger,
the popular cartoon character from Winnie The Pooh. So, let’s sing the
following song, together, shall we?
The Wonderful Thing About Tiggers (Song Lyrics)
The wonderful thing about Tiggers
Is Tiggers are wonderful things
Thier tops are made out of rubbers
Their bottoms are made out fo springs
They're bouncy, trouncy, founcy, pouncy
Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!
But the most wonderful thing about Tiggers
Is
I'm the only one
The wonderful thing about Tiggers
Is Tiggers are wonderful chaps
They're loaded with vim and with vigor
And love to leap in your laps
They're bouncy, trouncy, flouncy, pouncy
Fun, fun, fun, fun, fun!
But the most wonderful thing about Tiggers
Is
I'm the only one
Tiggers are wonderful fellahs
Tiggers are awfully sweet
Everyone else is jealous
And that's why I repeat...(Lyrics website source: https://genius.com/Walt-disney-records-the-wonderful-thing-about-tiggers-lyrics)
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