Balance

"Hey, dad. You're busy as a beaver in flood times. Busy as popcorn in a skillet."

So begins The #1 Dad Book by James Patterson, whose storytelling skill is remarkable. Trust me, this book on parenting is even more powerful than his novels. 

I read this book after walking my daughter to the taxi station this afternoon. She carried the birthday gifts for her friend who is turning 17. That gave me chance to help bringing a bottle of non alcoholic white grape sparkling juice. There's no getting around it; I have to admit that the ones and twos and threes are over in the blink of an eye. My girl is grown up. Gone girl.

Like what James Patterson describes a dad's life: a life as a game in which we are juggling five balls in the air. You name them – work, family, health, friends, and spirit – and you're keeping all of these in the air.

Now I understand that work is a rubber ball. If you drop it, it will bounce back.

But the other four balls – family, health, friends, and spirit – are made of glass. Drop them, and they will never be the same.