Parenting

Today is Gold and Tomorrow is Silver

How I struggle as a parent with Seizing the Day vs Delayed Gratification

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“If you do tomorrow what you did today, you will get tomorrow what you got today.”— Benjamin Franklin

Confliction

There are two conflicting approaches to life: Delay gratification today for a wealthy tomorrow and carpe diem or “seize the day” and live like today is your last. Usually, when someone prescribes delayed gratification they refer to finances; save a dollar today for a hundred tomorrow. Carpe diem often refers to smelling the coffee, enjoying the little things and not putting off for tomorrow what could’ve been done today.

I’ve never felt the two of those prescriptions collide more violently than now as a father of two beautiful kids.

I find it more difficult than ever before to make decisions that might benefit my future over being present for my kids. Time being the finite thing that it is, often I can only choose one.