We ate a lot of marmite this year. My wife and I, that is. It’s because when you are a father of a baby you have precious little time, and when you do need to eat, you make marmite toast. It’s also because the yeast in Marmite helps with something nutritional for my wife which she passes on via her milk. There is a lot a woman goes through in raising a child, and the father does not – I went through a lot, but not nearly as much as her. Wow, it’s unfair. Or is it? She had the benefit of a bond I could never acquire, and a closeness and joy which I envy. Balancing that against the sleepless nights, and other trials, I think I’d pass, but just to say: there is some pleasure in suffering for your child. I feel sorry for those who bypass it through various avenues of having others stay up all night, or using some slightly unsafe “medicine” (#gripewater), or outsourcing parenting responsiblity.
Why is this on a business blog post for the year? Because, as amazing as Elon Musk is at being a wealthy entrepreneur (or any other CEO, MD, doctor, lawyer, professional, sportsman, etc etc) there is always a hidden cost. That cost often looks like time away from family, and for me, this 2022, that was not a cost I was willing to pay; mainly because: you never get these years back. Sure, I may never get as wealthy, or as nice a home, or [insert Instagram image of something you covet] but I have this: precious memories with my child.
So, while Ma might eat a lot of marmite, Dad won’t miss out on parenting for any cost in the world. So, while 2022 closes on a slightly “worse” year for theDA financially, it also ends with my life being so, so so so very much more fulfilled. I said to a friend a week or two back: ‘until you have kids you don’t really know what life is about’. Maybe I am right, maybe not. But for me: this whole business of business is just to pay the bills to enjoy a life with those you love.
Merry Xmas and see you in 2023 😉