Friday, August 7, 2009

Strengthening The Bonds of Family: A Collector's Tale

There are a myriad of obstacles out there to separate us from our loved ones. I speak from personal experience when I say I'm lucky if I get 3 hrs a weekday with my kids. And most of that time is meal preparation, bath and bedtime routine. It's not by choice and once I get a job with less commute time I can spend alot more time with my beautiful wife and children.

Thus the weekends become precious and sometimes overanalyzed and overscheduled. I try to fit the world in two days. I try to make up with what I believe has been lost and create my own obstacles. It's one of a thousand reasons why stamp collecting helps bring back basic focus to my life and lets me reconnect with the kids in a simply pleasant manner. No stress. No guilt. Just strenghtening the bond of family via a time-honored hobby.

Whenever we can find something positive and productive to allow our attention to be focused on something other than work or ourselves -----we naturally grow stronger as parents and want to build on those key moments to grow as our children grow. I have been collecting for nearly 40 years and now have a different appreciation for it as a father. It feels exciting again like it once did when I was a child. While I have never lost my love for collecting it has always been a private vocation seldom shared with the outside world. My children have greatly assisted by efforts to venture out and speak out this wonderful hobby without fear of geek-prejudice. For that I will always be grateful.

And now parents, I am helping you to do the same, albeit, in a small way.

No comments: