My Precious Little Princess

I love the quote “Life is defined not by the number of breaths you take, but by the moments that take your breath away.”

This past Friday night, I had one of those moments.

It was something that I was so looking forward to all week. And I was so pumped I was in town to attend it.

It was the Father/Daughter Dance with my kindergartner McKenna.

McKenna primped all afternoon with Melanie. They got flowers for her hair. McKenna picked out her favorite “fancy dress” and she looked adorable when she was ready to go.

I got my suit pressed, my dozen roses and corsage ordered, and wrote a little note to McKenna letting her know how much I was looking forward to our time together.

We drove over to the DoubleTree Country Club for the event and we listened to our favorite song: Jersey Boys (My Eyes Adored You). We often listen/sing that song going to bed and she loves it every time.

She shared that she was a little nervous going to her first dance. But her butterflies soon subsided as we walked in and she saw a bunch of her friends.

And while there were many great parts to the night, here was perhaps the most PRECIOUS one.

The dance ran from 6-8 pm. We were dancing away on the floor after dinner and McKenna just looked at me and said, “Daddy, I’m really tired, can we go home now.”

I looked at my watch and it was 7 pm.

I looked at her eyes and you could tell that her bed-time had hit. She looked so tired. My little, precious princess was exhausted and she wanted to get going home.

I just smiled and said, “Of course McKenna…let’s get going.”

Life is defined by the precious moments that take your breath away. And this was one of them.

We were only at the dance about an hour. We had a great time, but my 5-year old couldn’t fight being tired any longer.

For those of you with older kids, I am constantly reminded of how quickly the time passes by. I get it. I see it. I understand it.

And it was just so awesome to be present in this moment with my little girl and know how quickly this time will pass.

On the drive home, I could see her sleepy eyes getting heavier and heavier. And I thought about our upcoming dances. I thought about how someday, God-willing, I will see her get married. And I realize how quickly that day will be here.

Guys, the WOW (word of the week) this week is PRECIOUS.

What little moments in time can you create or can you capture that are PRECIOUS?

They don’t all have to be “big” things. They don’t have to be dances. Or weddings.

What are some small, little things you can capture everyday at work, at home, while working out, while spending time with loved ones that are precious?

Or what moments or experiences can you create to leave a lasting memory?

Tonight is the closing ceremonies for the Olympics. There clearly have been some incredible moments and memories during these Olympics. Some may even say there have been some “precious” memories. Memorable performances, human-interest stories, and the culmination of 4+ years of focused training to create what were hopefully some memories of a life-time.

In just a little while, I’m going to coach 2 different basketball games for my sons Luke & Brady. And while our team isn’t very good, it is our last game of the season. And then in the afternoon, we have our end of the year party where I award every kid a trophy (don’t get me started on that one though!). I hope to create at least one more PRECIOUS memory for a kid that might remember this season as a special experience.

And then this week at Fitness Quest 10, I hope there are PRECIOUS moments where our team and clients can capture the magic of how good it feels to move, to be in a positive environment, and to be surrounded by positive people.

And finally, later this week, I will be traveling to Washington DC/northern VA for the IDEA PT-Institute Fitness Conference where I will have the opportunity to create IMPACT for several hundred fitness pros. I’m doing my first, full-day, precon event (“A Day of IMPACT… a Life of LEADERSHIP”) at a fitness conference before I teach 3 workshops so I hope that there are some serious IMPACT moments and Ahas for the delegates and attendees. That could be termed “precious.”

Folks, what are you going to do this week that is PRECIOUS?

Serve others, slow down enough to be present in all conversations, put a smile on someone else’s face, teach/coach someone something new, or create experiences that will make a difference in other people’s life.

Now that would be PRECIOUS! Thank you McKenna for reminding me that great things come in small, little precious packages. Just got to keep your eyes open.

Much love.

Todd