Today was a very satisfying father's day for some reason. We had plans to hike around Mt. Nemo with Pavel's boys, so we were up pretty early. Like in past years, when I woke up, the kids surprised me with a card and some gifts. I love this tradition, to be celebrated by my wife and kids (althought Noriko always does the bulf of the work...LOVE YOU NORI!!). One of the gifts was some spicy Japanese chips, another was homemade vanilla ice cream (which I love!) with the words "Love Dad" written in chocolate chips. The hike was beautiful too. The weather was as perfect as you can ask for on a hike...sunny and warm without being to hot or humid.
After the hike we went to my parents place for dinner in the backyard with both Andrew and Chris and his family. With all the COVID lockdowns, I haven't seen Chris and Colleen and Ella since....maybe last fall? That was nice too, I just sat down and relaxed and chatted. And of course ate! You can't go to my parents house without constantly being fed. After that, we headed home and I took a lovely nap, and then I spent an hour coding our Java app with the boys. They both have a real knack for this. They have the same innate understanding of computer programming that I had when I was a kid. I really hope they develop serious programming skills in the future, regardless of whatever career path they follow.
After this I walked around the neighbourhood to get some air. It was then that I felt this feeling of satisfaction, and as I walked I thought about why. I realized it wasn't so much related to what happened today but to what happened yesterday and the day before. During dinner we watched the movie Soul again a couple of nights ago, and the message of just appreciated the simple joy of life has been resonating with me since. Then yestrday, I spent a long while reading old emails from various friends. I think it made me remember for the first time in a long while what a treasure friends and family are. So when I lived this day today, all day I think I was just happy to be in the presence of family and friends without thinking too much about what was actually going on. I really wish every day could be like this. I hope I can continue to remind myself each day of the gift of all the beautiful souls that surround my life.
