Taking the time. Investing time in the things that matter most. Pausing and reflecting. There is an effect. (I previously wrote a post about this concept titled “Pause & Reflect - The Cause & Effect.”)Case in point. Last night my family and I attended -- for the 12th consecutive time -- the annual “Lighting of the Del” holiday celebration at the world-famous Hotel del Coronado, a remarkable place down here in San Diego. Hot chocolate. Ice skating on an outdoor rink right off the beach and overlooking the ocean with a magical sunset. Fireworks. Food. Friends. Libations. Yes, even Santa for those wanting to sit on a lap.
Another classic evening. And, now a long-time Csathy family tradition. Every one of us -- including our girl Hunter, age 14, and our boy Luca, age 11 -- look forward to this event every year. It is simply an integral part of our Xmas season. No matter how busy we are - with work, with school, with other life matters - we set this late afternoon/evening each year aside. We invest the time. And the effect is a magical evening that is ingrained in our hearts and minds forever. Family memories that I have no doubt our kids will share with their kids. Deeply embedded in their little psyches.
As we drove back from the Del together, my daughter -- a music lover like me -- manned the sound system with her iPhone. She was the DJ. Using a new music app that I had never known before, which is quite a feat because I know the digital music space quite well -- an app that you should check out called 8tracks (see, I squeezed a digital media angle in this very personal blog post!) -- she played a play-list that featured a classic Coldplay song. “Fix You.” That is a song that I used to crank in my home over and over and over again years and years ago -- from the time she was a toddler.
And, here’s the point. My 14 year-old daughter never has been a Coldplay fan. She never listens to Coldplay. Let’s face it, Coldplay ain’t cool for 14 year-old girls. But, she was in the moment. A family moment. A nostalgic moment. A moment that reflected an investment of time over the years. So, rather than skip that song, she asked me to crank up the volume once again -- just like I used to “back in the day.” I obliged. Cranked it to 11. And, it became a magical moment that I never will forget. Really won’t. All of us sang the entire classic song in full voice. It was our “Tiny Dancer” moment a la the movie “Almost Famous.”
I don’t think my 14 year-old girl will forget that moment either ....
