Holiday Time with My Wife and Daughter

“Daddy get in,” my daughter gestured as she was jumping up and down on her trampoline, super dooper in hand. My wife was sitting inside laughing with her over the recent twirls. We swapped places (the weight limit won’t allow two adults), and I picked up my daughter for big jumps. We all laughed, jumped more, twirled around, and ate our ice blocks. 

These slower days were what my holidays were all about. Full days on end with my wife and daughter, and visits with family. The week was full of reading books, jumping, having tea parties, going for walks, splashing in the pool, drawing, and everything in between. Moments of sitting, watching, staring. Intertwined was various life admin tasks. Getting the dishwasher stacked after meals, replying to text messages, getting the laundry on and out. It was through the ongoing combination of these ‘ordinary’ tasks that the beauty of the holidays emerged. 

Quality comes from quantity. It was on the tenth reading of Bunnies on the Bus that my daughter laughed and pointed at one of the drawings, saying ”daddy, mummy” to tell us why it was so funny. It was having a dance party at night which came about naturally by reading and playing upstairs. The flow of the book turned into our own rap song which then had our own dancing lyrics of throwing our hands up in the air, twirling around, moving side to side. It was a highlight of the holidays and was a moment that you can’t just make instantly. Rather, we came to it through the natural flow that time needs by reading and improvising in the moment. 

This experience of the natural flow of time is a reminder to me to slow down and reduce the amount of things I am doing as I return back to work. To think about how I can reclaim time by stopping what isn’t aligned to the person I want to be. Setting the minimum standards that I will hold myself to. Cutting what shouldn’t be there and investing more in what should. Less TV shows and more conversations with my wife at night. Continuing with the gym. Jumping and twirling and reading to my daughter. Less YouTube distractions and reading about tech and Apple rumours. Spending more time with my daughter before the rush to work begins. Which causes me to pause and ask why it is such a rush? I can prepare and pack lunch the night before. I can start later and find ways to make that happen. 

We can keep some of the natural flow of time, such as reading a book after work with my daughter and then preparing dinner. Laughing and jumping before bed. Reading to her again, sitting with her interest in the books and being excited at the drawings she is focused on. Then putting her to bed in the cot.

It’s about experiencing these great, ordinary moments. This is where the beauty of life is.