The 39 Steps

This past weekend marked an exciting milestone in the life of our youngest daughter.  She turned 9 months old...and more importantly discovered that she can climb stairs.  Yes indeed, she can climb from the bottom right to the very top (of course I was there spotting her).  Exciting and terrifying...now there's no rest for poor ol' ma and pop.  Well, actually it just means we have to deal with the nuisance of a baby gate - but the peace of mind it brings is worth it.

You should have seen her face the first time she got to the top - pure delight.  But as she performed her new skill again and again (it seems to be her new favorite thing), I observed something interesting.  The more comfortable she got climbing the stairs, the more easily distracted she became.  The first time she was intent on each step, her focus rarely moving from the top stair.  By the fifth time however, every little dust bunny (nothing like a baby to point out all the spots you've missed in your cleaning) or tiny shiny sparkle that fell off one of the girls' dresses was reason enough to pause and explore.  She even took time to try to eat one of the stairs.

It kind of reminded me of me I guess...and a lot of other grown up types I know.  How often do we start a new initiative all gun-ho ready to go only to be distracted and pulled off-course by some meaningless diversion?  Of course there are times when things arise that are deserving of further attention.  I guess the trick is to discern which diversions could yield something special (like a sparkle from a dress) and which are merely dust-bunnies.

Star Trek

I have recently rediscovered Star Trek: the Next Generation. I know, how could I have forgotten how wonderful it was? I really do think it's wonderful. The episodes always have a problem that is hard to understand at first and then in the last ten minutes or so, starship Enterprise finds a way to fix it by working together and using their heads. Captain commands his crew in a wise and fatherly nature, with inexhaustible resources of patients despite the Romulan ship that is about to blow them to, as Jordi would say, "to kingdom come!"
The one aspect that annoys me about Star Trek is the fact that faith in the supernatural is viewed by Captain Picard as a prehistoric and backward superstition. It would seem that humans in the future rely more and more on technology and less on God. This may in fact be an extremely accurate representation of humanity, but in my opinion it deviates from the shows inherent positivity.

Of course this does not bother me enough to stop watching the show. But I will hope with each passing episode that the crew can find some sort of joy and value in things that cannot be explained. Maybe I'm investing too much in the fictional characters, but what can I say, I care about their fictitious souls!

Sleeping Like a Baby

Yay it's Friday!!

I often wonder about that term...sleeping like a baby.  Who came up with that saying?  Was it spoken in jest the first time?

I suppose it's not too hard to imagine.  Babies have a knack for sleeping through just about anything, when they want to.  We could be in a crowded room, a bunch of kids screaming and Miriam is completely out of it.  That must be what it refers to, the ability to sleep through anything.

It certainly doesn't refer to their ability to sleep through the night - at least not judging by my children.  I've heard of other babies sleeping through the night, but really I chalk that up as simply urban legend.  I remember when Noli was about a year old telling a friend that it had probably been a year since I last slept through the night...and I don't even have to nurse the baby, my poor wife.

Did you know that sleep deprivation is in fact a type of torture.  Anyway, here's to the elusive solid night's sleep...and a weekend of rest and fun to recharge our weary selves.

Daddy Instinct

I slipped and fell down a few stairs today, while holding Miriam, my nine month old.  We're all okay thank goodness.  I'm pretty sure I'm going to be pretty sore in the morning but Miriam didn't get anything worse than a little fright.  Upon beginning my descent my free arm, rather than going to the ground to catch myself, instinctively went around Miriam to ensure she didn't get bumped.  Of course that meant that my elbow, shoulder and butt took the brunt of the fall...thankfully I've got a little padding on the behind.

It amazes me how instinctive our protective nature is for our children.  This is of course just a small example as neither of us were in any serious danger.  But even the smallest threat to a child can elicit a rather primal instinct that very few dare stand against.   There's something fearsomely beautiful about it all.  In the spirit of that sentiment, enjoy the following video. 

Felix Baumgartner...wow!!  I salute you sir.  In case you missed it, Fearless Felix leaped from the edge of space to complete the most extreme skydive ever setting three records along the way - highest manned balloon flight, highest skydive and the first person to break the sound barrier without a vehicle.  I guess that makes him the fastest man on the planet today.

Besides its sheer awesomeness - there are apparently practical scientific reasons why this jump is significant.  But I want to focus on its awesomeness.  In a world where it easy to feel complacent and where sometimes it feels as though there is nothing new under the sun...we humans have done it all...it's exciting to think that there are some still pushing the boundaries.  Those who dream a little bigger, look a little higher and say, "yeah, that's possible...let's give it a go."

Jumping off of things is not for me.  In fact the past few years I've claimed base jumping as my biggest fear (base jumping and wild cats).  Just the thought of it turns my stomach - just too many things that could go wrong.  Maybe I'd slip right before I was to jump...or trip...a slight stumble and I wouldn't jump far enough from the ledge and WHAM!!  I end up bouncing off the face of the base.  Yeah.  Jumping is not for me.

It's easy and understandable to become so focused on the things that could go wrong that you never leave the comfort of the base.  But if we all did that, there'd be no Fearless Felix...no risk, no gain.

Surely I have my own metaphorical base that I am to leap from. A lesson from Felix for me is to assess and mitigate the risks...but don't let them stop me from taking the leap!

It's Not That Complicated

I just read another article about how Canadian household debt has hit a record high. Now, I am by no means a financial expert, but am in fairly good shape financially despite having four dependents and being a single income home. We don't have any credit card debt, school debt or weird payday loan type debt (those places give me the willies) and we are about six years away from paying off our mortgage. Financial success seems to be fairly straightforward to me, and includes very few rules to follow. Here are some of my idiot proof rules.

Rule #1 Don't buy crap.

Has that set in yet? Wait for it to sink in deep. Most things people buy other than food are just crap (with very few exceptions). You don't need a new flat screen, a cell phone, a newer car, a boat, a bigger house, or any other do-dad to be happy and fulfilled. We try to keep our needs and wants distinctive and in perspective.  It is probably sacrilegious to say in this day and age, but you really don't need a cell phone to survive. Trust me you wont die without an ipad, or  iphone.  Somehow, my family magically seems to survive with out these things quite happily. Yes we sometimes think about buying shiny new things that will momentarily bring us joy, but then we think about how much better being completely debt free will feel and walk on by the shiny new car.

Rule #2 Work Hard at Anything you Can - Then Live Within Your Means

 I didn't always have a job that paid well.  During my student days and early years of marriage I often worked double shifts between two jobs and did extra work at night cataloging information for random companies (the most mind-numbing thing on Earth to do for money). We learned to tailor our life in order to meet the salary we have, weather it's big or small.  Living frugally has now become a lifestyle and we never go without our needs being met and many of our wants too - albeit our wants are usually pretty simple.  Luckily I now have a job that does meet all of our needs and doesn't make me want to go crazy by doing hours and hours of night time cataloging.

Rule #3 Pay Off More Than you Need To Now

This just means pay more of your debt down, be it mortgage, school loans, plastic surgery, or whatever, than the minimum monthly requirement. Bank staffers usually discourage this because thats how they make their money,,or rather your money.

Rule #4 Give to God

If your not spiritual at all or maybe even if you are this rule will seem strange but I believe it helps us more than it is a sacrifice. We are amazingly blessed by God and I hope our small contributions will bless others in turn.

And thats it. That is my family's playbook on money. The first and fourth rules are the most important ones I think. Obviously these have not been invented by me. Lots of people, smarter and wiser than me write books about this sort of stuff and follow these rule better than us. But as my wife's Grandmother used to say, "what's true once can be said again and again."

Pop Culture Fathers' Hall of Fame (Shame)

The progression (or maybe that's regression) of a father's role in pop-culture is fun to look at.  So that's what I'm going to do.  From time to time I'll post a father character from pop culture fame and highlight some of his characteristics and what made him so memorable.  It's interesting because I think you can tell a lot about how fathers were viewed in society at different times from their depiction in media.  From Mr. Cleaver to Homer Simpson fathers have come a long way.

Let's get started with one of my favorite fathers from television.

Charles Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie

He gets double the points for being based on a real guy (see a photo of the real Charles below).

I always liked Charles for his ability to gauge what was needed from him in any given scenario and get the job done.  And when the job was done he'd always have a heartfelt smile awaiting.  Need to rough up some outlaws - no problem.  Harvest needs finishing up...broken ribs?  Not a problem.  Heck he could build a cottage, catch some fish, find his children in a blizzard, and save Walnut Grove from some calamity all before dinner and still have some energy left over to break out the fiddle.

He was John Wayne meets James Dean - a man not afraid to show his vulnerability but whose vulnerability never hindered him from overcoming any obstacle be it nature, man or himself.   He was the epitome of the tough guy father who was still always emotionally available to his family - not to mention always there when the needed him.  How many times did we see him cry for or about his family?  I lost count but you still never doubted that he was the man.  When he needed to, he'd wipe those tears away, pick himself up and by George get the task done.

Yes, in my opinion, pop culture and our world could use more fathers like Charles Ingalls.