BLUF: Thoughts on a quantified look at time with our loved ones. Time is our most precious resource.
I read this post from Wait, but Why a while back, but find that I’m still sharing it with folks both in the context of being a new parent and appreciating the time with my kiddo as well as appreciating the time I have left with my parents/loved ones. It just gives me the feels to see it quantified in Tim’s blog post. I won’t come close to doing the post justice so I highly suggest you click through and give it a read yourself.
Read it? Cool. Here’s how thinking about the Tail End Principle has changed the way I view things.
- As a child: By dumb luck I already have some advantages with spending time with my parents in that we live in the same state and seeing them is just a 1 hour flight down to SoCal. The post gave me a way to more accurately evaluate the cost-benefit of a weekend trip down with regards to cost of tickets, etc. I not only have time left with my parents, but my grandmother is still around as well.
- As a parent: I try to get home and spend time with my kiddo, P, during the work week. Whether it’s spending mornings with him or evenings I aim for at least one session during the work week. Two if I can squeeze it in. He may not remember all the interactions, but I hope that some imprint will stay there.
- Tail End Corollary: Having spent time thinking about Tail End Principle I came up with a corollary
Tail End Corollary: The time my child has with my loved ones has equal/greater value than the time I have with them
Assuming that I value time with my parents/grandparents/relatives/loved ones. The time P can spend with them must have equal or greater value. The argument can be made that P won’t be able to remember said interactions if he’s too young. But given that I have placed value in spending time with them, one can assume that the fact that they were able to interact with P also has intrinsic value to me. So trips to visit now generate more value to me as a parent than they did when it was just me.
I hope this post helps everyone take a step back and understand how to value the time they have left with their loved ones. I doubt he’ll ever see this, but I want to thank Tim for sharing his thoughts.