My boss's boss is like 42, never married, no kids. Earns $275-300K per year. Goes on a minimum of two international vacations a year w/ his girlfriend. 10+ days, all out.
Eats the best food, stays in top notch accomodations. Excursions, tours, nicest beaches, etc.
Great guy, I'm happy for him.
But what I've realized is that without kids, you end up chasing a lifestyle that has to continually be topped in order for you to be satisfied and find happiness.
What he and others like him don't understand is that when you have children, seeing THEM experience life's most basic things and watching their eyes light up at all the "firsts", brings greater pleasure and joy than any vacation or travel experience ever could.
Seeing THEM try blueberries for the first time is greater than dining at the best 5 star restaurant in Europe.
Seeing THEM learn how to walk is greater than walking the Great Wall of China or strolling along the most picturesque beach.
Watching THEM giggle uncontrollably at "peek-a-boo" tops any A-list comedian act.
Seeing THEIR excitement when building a fort out of cardboard boxes and making a door big enough for daddy is superior to staying at 5-star resorts.
Flying kites with THEM far outweighs excursions like parasailing or helicopter rides.
Seeing THEM perform a recital on stage for the first time is more rewarding than watching a Broadway show or top notch symphony orchestra.
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When you have children, all of a sudden you realize that life's greatest joys are not in the pursuit of things or pleasure or travel, but rather in the LOVE and bond you share with your very own image bearers.
Seeing the beauty and magnificence and wonder of life all over again for the first time through THEIR eyes and expressions gives you something the world simply cannot offer, nor even come close.
@adelbucetta I'm sorry, but things that humans can live without (data centers, satellite internet, moon bases, rockets to Mars, etc.) aren't fundamental to human existence at all.
In no rational world is SpaceX $SPCX worth 2.5x that of Walmart $WMT, which has 37.5x the global revenue.
Get rid SpaceX tomorrow:
- some people just find a different internet service provider & use a different LLM
Get rid of Walmart tomorrow:
- society would nearly collapse
@_Devoon_@calvinrobinson I dunno... Maybe nuns should spice it up a little bit with a bunch of bright colors. Then they would look like a field of flowers instead of a death cult from behind.
Amazing story!
Go out of your way to be kind and loving to children.
ESPECIALLY those whose appearances and behavior may initially cause you to pre-judge and/or avoid them.
You never know why they are the way they are until you get to know them.
I’ve been one of the camp nurses at my kids church camp the last few days. We had a teen boy come in 2 days ago with bad toe pain. Limping. He looked like he hadn’t showered or changed clothes in a few days…par for the course with teen boys at camp😅 Overweight. Awkward. Doesn’t make eye contact.
Of course I’m making all kinds of judgements and dreading taking off his shoes and socks because it’s probably going to stink to high heaven.
It does.
I told him he had a paronychia with cellulitis of the toe. I told him I needed to call his mom to get permission to treat.
“I don’t have a mom.”
😭💔
“I’m so sorry. Can I call your dad? Do you have a legal guardian?”
“You can try my dad but he won’t answer. He pours concrete and leaves for work at 1-2 am and doesn’t get home until around 5 pm.”
We clean and soak his filthy feet while we try to get ahold of someone.
He looks at another one of the nurses and quietly says: “This is the nicest anyone has ever been to me. I usually have to take care of myself.”
😭💔😭💔
I feel awful for every quick judgement I made. It’s all making sense now.
Pastor somehow gets ahold of grandma. I get permission to treat. Pastor picks up the prescription I sent and returns to camp with a pack of new socks and three new pairs of shoes that fit. The look on that boys face when we handed him the bags…I’ll never forget. He couldn’t believe it.😭
24 hours later his toe was drained, he had 4 doses of antibiotics. His pain was “so much better”. His feet were clean with clean socks and shoes that fit. He is smiling. He is making eye contact and in the clinic on time for every dose of medication.
We prayed with him and hugged him when he left today. I don’t know what will happen. The socks will get dirty again and I don’t know how or when they will be washed.
But that boy will always remember the Christians loved him well. They washed his feet. They gave him dignity. They prayed for him. They helped heal him.
When his dad wearily walks in the door from 18 hours of hard labor, he will tell him about camp. I pray he comes to know and trust the source of love, healing, mercy, and provision…Jesus Christ himself.
Sometimes the veil is thin, and it’s often in the places of humility. It seems that is how the Lord likes to work. You can’t write those moments, only God can. Praise.
@TheOfficerTatum He deserved a shot to the head when he was 12" from the other guy's face.
If those were my daughters, I would have beat the shit out of that guy, assuming I didn't have my gun on me.
@specsaregood I can understand competitive swimming because there is utility involved in hydrodynamics.
But at beaches where people are just there casually - especially with children - no one needs to see the outline of a man's manhood.
Try using the logic of "not noticing" with bikinis. 🫣
A lot of BIG problems that people think they have in life would be put into perspective if they just spent more time with LITTLE people.
Little ones have a way of exposing what really matters – and giving your priorities a good reset.
A lot of BIG problems that people think they have in life would be put into perspective if they just spent more time with LITTLE people.
Little ones have a way of exposing what really matters – and giving your priorities a good reset.