I was recently working through a book called "Storyline" by Donald Miller. The book is about living a better story, so that at the end of your life you can look back and see that your life had a purpose.
In this book he asks you to layout your roles and goals. So that you can decide where to focus your energy for maximum impact. This means basically defining what hats you wear and what you wish accomplish wearing that hat. He suggests limiting the choices to five since you probably you won't be able to do more than that without driving yourself crazy. Just 5? Are you serious? I'm so much bigger than that!
I decided to print out a schedule that had the whole day in 15 minute increments. I then tried to work all those roles into my day to day routine. Unfortunately... there were not enough lines. So I printed off seven more copies and tried to rework it every different way imaginable.
The unavoidable fact was I couldn't do everything that I felt I needed to do.
Something had to go.
I have never lost a loved one... But I felt a deep sorrow in giving up my dream of becoming a rock star that day. Despite how many ways I tried to rationalize how this was important; Storyline and common sense told me that it wasn't. It's hard to give up on a dream, but it's easier to give up on a small dream to go for a bigger dream. Ironically, after letting go of my belief that I should have an UN-INTERRUPTED practice time of 30 minutes everyday. I have found my actual life became more interesting. Everything else was not just something that I needed to do so that I could have enough time to practice guitar. I went from avoidance of daily activities to embracing them. Funny thing is that it happened almost immediately.
I still want to be a rock star. I'm just trying to be a rock star at real life now.
This was going to be like a "mom blog" - How to keep your house clean, organize your laundry, etc.
But there's already some amazing mom blogs out there. I know because I read them. I am not ashamed.
This blog is about something slightly different though. This blog is about the essence of true home management from the view point of a husband and a dad. My hope is to invite others with me along the journey from being a laissez faire style parent, a lazy husband, and a blame shifting leader to being a responsible adult who takes care of what has been given to him.
So really the point of this first post is just to introduce the blog and give some back story on how I got here.
I've always enjoyed organizing things, even if I was messy. But when I got married I thought it was supposed to be like having a live in maid... that I could have sex with. But after 3 years of marriage I have finally come to the realization that people have different personalities and that my personality is more suited to cooking, cleaning, and organizing the home... and the sex thing.
Not saying that my wife is a slob - she's actually the one writing this as I dictate to her from the kitchen... So I couldn't really say that at all... Not that I ever would. She's not a slob. Ok. Next subject.
Instead of being mad at my LOVELY (not a slob) wife for not being like me and my personality. I've decided to embrace my gifts and use them for the good of my household.
Over the next couple of weeks I hope you will join me as we bust through gender roles, clean counters, expound on the four temperaments, make grocery lists and family work out routines.
I'm not looking for much readership at this point, but as I build this blog it is my hope to inspire some of the other men of this world go on this journey with me. To devote the same energy of taking care of our families as we do our cars and trucks. To spend as much time organizing family meals and schedules as we do our fantasy football brackets. And much time playing with our kids (or wife) as we do with our iPhones.
I say this because I struggle with this as well. Except for the fantasy football. That's bogus.
Let us lead our families with the same excitement as we lead our black ops teams on xbox live.
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