Many fathers are champions of their sons or daughters – seeing their possibilities. My father championed me in the use of focused listening and intelligent action to benefit others. This “championing” began with my grandfather who taught my Dad the importance of self-care in a world that sometimes seems to push us toward exhaustion and burnout.
GUIDANCE ON THE PATH
My father chose a path where his work in the business world rejected over-achievement and where “enough” money was balance with enough time for family, for his music and his books. I would often find him, when I returned home from school, curled in the black leather and curving rosewood of his Eames lounge chair, listening to Brahms, Beethoven, Shubert or Mozart. In those days, he would playfully quiz me, challenging me to guess the names of the composers. As I grew into my high school years, I would find myself, similarly en-wombed in his chair, listening and reading.
SELF-CARE AND SELF-WORTH
My father, released from the entrapment of workaholism, characteristic of so many of the men of his generation, was also busy supporting the quest of my mother to return to college, then graduate school and finally to teaching inner city kids, inspiring them toward lives of worth. Likewise, I was inspired by my father’s dedication and championing of us so that my work became “working on myself” and learning ways that I might help others come to satisfaction with themselves and peace with their family’s legacy.
What is the legacy left to you by your father?
Please share your thoughts below.
NealBrodsky's Blog 