So many times we talk about family without knowing what it really means. As the popular saying goes, it seems that we do not value things until we lose them, or at least until they are at stake. When a loved one gets sick, goes away, dies, is separated from our life, when the family plan fails and everything ends just the way we did not want it to, then things seem to take on another color, another flavor, another meaning.
We are so often so focused on “what needs to be done” that we forget what is really important, that beyond the ups and downs, the affections and projects that are forged with those people who settle in our lives play a vital role, that are neither disposable, nor tradable, nor can we put a price on them. Of course, nowadays we find all of that. It is so easy to find and find ourselves prioritizing badly our time, our attention, our dedication and so many things, often giving a value that does not have the work, the money, the opinion of others, those people who cross our lives and make us feel again that adrenaline that perhaps was extinguished over the years in our relationship. There can be a thousand factors that take us out of the way, and that is when we need more than ever the person who is by our side, God, good friends, those who give the difficult advice, the unpopular, but necessary: the things that are worth deserve to be taken care of, to be repaired, repaired, healed and all that effort before letting go. If we get seriously ill, won’t we do everything before giving up? However, at present this does not happen with friends, partners or families, which are undoubtedly the center not only of society, but also of our own construction and support in personal and social life.
It is fundamental that we become unpopular, that in some causes we take the flags of the “retrograde”, that we show those uncomfortable speeches and that will bring us back more looks of rejection than applause; but it is that we have really lost our way. How can work be more important than a moment with our loved ones? At what point did our personal vanity take the place of a tight hug from our children or a moment with our partner? what were we thinking when we put everything on the line for a little seduction with the wrong person?… I’m sorry, but we have lost our way and we need to find ourselves.
As my five year old son says, “easy dad, we all make mistakes”. What wisdom and good sense there is in that. We all make mistakes, no matter the final count of the errors or the magnitude of them, it is a human fact, we all make mistakes and get lost along the way, so perhaps the merit is not only in keeping clear and straight on what is important, but also in having the humility and commitment to recognize when we have missed a step and do what is necessary to get back on track.
Believe me, when this game of life is in its twilight, we will think much more about those family affections, about our loved ones, about the time we put in to build daily moments that remain in our retina, and most or perhaps all of what we are determined to do now, will be part of the scenery, but not what is relevant, not what we would like to stretch a little more, not what perhaps we would have liked to do differently. Let us not lose ourselves, my dears, and let us take care of that fundamental space that blesses our lives and that is our family.