This weekend, we had the grandkids.
We didn’t do anything big–no big trip, no big plans. Just cards, games, a trip to the park, and a movie at home. Simple. Somewhere between shuffling cards, swings at the park, and sitting together watching a movie, it hit me…These are the moments that matter most! Not the big events. Not the things we plan for weeks. Not the things that fill the calendar. Just time together!
There was no rushing this weekend. No schedule to keep. No place where we needed to go. And maybe that’s what made it feel different. For so many years, life has been built around a schedule–clinic hours, meetings, workouts, responsibilities. Even weekends had a rhythm to them. But this weekend? We just let it happen! And it was enough.
Kids don’t need elaborate plans. They don’t need everything to be perfectly organized. They just need you to be there! To play the game. To go to the park. To sit next to them on the couch. To be present! As I was tucking each in at night, I was getting a bottle ready for Caleb, and Sarah told me Connor, the oldest, wanted to talk. I went into his room, and he goes: “Grandpa, can you snuggle with me?” Of course! We had a nice little talk. He knows they are going back home tomorrow, but he told me he had a lot of fun so far. He even said “Thank you!” We just laid and talked for another 10 minutes. You can just tell how much growing up he has done (now 4, 5 in July). Be present! Watching their smiles, especially Caleb, the youngest, when he is eating! He just had me roaring with laughs!
I’ve spent a lifetime striving–through medicine, through running, through trying to do things the right way. And there’s value in that. But weekends like this remind me that sometimes the best thing we can do…is just show up!
We didn’t do anything special this weekend. And that’s exactly what made it special. Because to my grandkids, Sarah, and I, we did everything special! Still striving. Still showing up. Just in a different way. Keep moving everybody!
Dr. Dan
Consecutive Exercise Day of Newest Streak: # 788