One Particular Harbour
Thoughts about life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness from Dave Darby.
All posts in Family
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If
Jun 25, 2010Posted by Dave Darby
Read more »If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you
But make allowance for their doubting too,
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies,
Or being hated, don’t give way to hating,
And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise:If you can dream–and not make dreams your master,
If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools:If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breath a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!”If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch,
If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you;
If all men count with you, but none too much,
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it,
And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son!~Rudyard Kipling
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From Our Mouths to Their Ears (and Mouths)
Mar 30, 2009Posted by Dave Darby
Read more »We must shop late at night. The girls are playing ‘store’ and Nicole just said over the ‘store microphone’ “Attention shoppers, we will be closing in 5 minutes. Please gather your items and proceed to checkout.” Clearly she has other things to do!
Kind of reminds me of my Buckeyes playing (very loose interpretation) the Gators for the national title a few years ago – on my birthday no less. Olivia (2 at the time) walked around the next stay shouting “Damnit!” in a very aggravated tone. Still aggravated, I didn’t mind.
Which is also reminiscent of the story my mother loves to tell about the time we were rough-housing in the back of a parked pickup truck. I went over the gate backwards and upon landing bit my tongue in half. My mother lost sight of me for a moment while signing me out and rushed to find me. As she turned the corner, she heard the policeman ask me, “That’s horrible! What are you going to do to Joey when you get home?” to which I replied with my tongue taped/glued together “I’m going to go home and kick his ath.”
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Marcia, Marcia, Marcia!
Feb 17, 2009Posted by Dave Darby
Read more »A little tired today. It’s Tuesday and already a busy work week with new clients coming on board with our marketing business, plus I’m doing some traveling to coach a great new client with loads of potential.
On top of that, I played a mixed doubles tennis match off island this morning. We won handedly and that would have normally invigorated me, but again it’s only Tuesday and my butt is stuck on Monday.
That’s when it happened. I am a little spaced out staring out a the palms blowing in the beachy breeze seeing a very beautiful day outside. Lauren, our oldest daughter walked into my view with double pony tails which probably isn’t called pony tails at all since I’ve never seen a pony with two tails. But that’s a discussion for Wednesday, which I may not have until Thursday because again, I feel a day behind.
Lauren smiled. I smiled. And it hit me. Wow she looked like Marcia Brady just then. Then it hit me again, wow, we have more girls than the Bradys. Then it hit me again, wow, we’re one kid shy of the Brady Bunch. Then it hit me again, if you have a big family, chances are somebody’s going to take a football in the nose one day. Then it dawned on me, if I get hit again today, I’m going to start hitting back – tomorrow.
We are celebrating our youngest daughter in family this week though. Potty training. Emily looks like she shed her last diaper a full 5 weeks before her 2nd birthday. Wow. That beats Olivia who bailed on diapers on her 2nd birthday. And we didn’t even have to bribe Emily with M&Ms. She just did it. She also helps put clothes away. Man, there is something to be said for peer values/learning. Monkey see, monkey do. I might discuss more about that on Friday, which will probably be Saturday, but will still feel like Thursday.
So, with back to back to back to back to back kids – that’s a total of 11 years and 3 weeks of diapers. While it would be fun to have an even half-dozen, I think our first time out of diapers seals the deal.
Man, I’m tired.