Divvering Forward

“It is one thing to see a path forward.  It is another to have the courage to walk that path.”

Divvering Forward

I know where Foothill Village is.  There was no need to punch up my GPS for directions.  I’ve worn many different paths there.  So, when my friend Jim Divver suggested we have lunch at Hi Sushi all I needed to do was get in my car and, almost on auto pilot, drive there.  It was a beautiful late winter day, the sun was shining, there was no obstacle to hamper my passage along the path.  Yet, I was about to learn more than I’d ever really considered about a journey’s path.

Both Jim and I are getting along toward the end of our life’s path.  Of course, no one really knows when their mortal path is going to come to a close.  Luckily, we’ve both had lots of experience in navigating through intersecting family, personal, health, spiritual and business paths. And, now that I think about it, if I could choose to get advice about how to proceed on almost any of life’s paths, I can’t think of anyone I’d rather counsel with more than Jim.  He seems to always have more to offer than I anticipate whenever we spend time together.  This day was no different.

“Tell me how your family is doing.”  I said as we finished ordering our food.

Jim proceeded to tell me of the path each of his children have taken.  I marveled at how he had been involved in the small details of their lives.  Additionally, I sat in amazement as he told me the story of his interaction with his son as he was seeking a position to begin his career after college.

“My son told me he had applied for a position, but he hadn’t gotten a response.  He also asked what he should do because he was about to leave town to go on a long-planned vacation to the Florida Keys.”

Jim’s eyes sparkled with emotion as he spoke.

“I told him he needed to contact the potential employer to say, ‘I haven’t heard from you, so I was just checking in.  Your response will help me plan my way forward.’  Once you do that you can go on vacation.”

His son has a long history of receiving great mentoring from his father, so he made the call!  He left a message and then he left town.  Of course, it had to happen, when he arrived in Miami on the first leg of his trip, he turned his phone on in the concourse.  Ping!  He had a message.

“Dad!  I got a call!  They want me in to come for an interview tomorrow!  What should I do?”

“Do you want the job?”  Jim asked.

“Yes!”

“Then get on a plane and get to the interview!  You can always go back to Florida, but you won’t be offered the job if you don’t go!”

When the father, son call was finished, Jim’s son told his friends he had to fly out immediately.  They protested, “But, we’ve planned this trip for more than a year!” He flew out of Miami to San Francisco any way. Then, just before his interview, he called his father for one more piece of advice.

“I told him to tell the interviewer what he had done to get there!”  Jim said with his eyes glistening to highlight the story.

Talk about a path and how to navigate forward!

“He’s lucky to have you!” I said reverently, in earnest to Jim.  “Do you know how many people have a father like you?”

Jim, as he always does, told me that he hadn’t really done a thing.  His son had done it all.

I smiled.

“It is one thing to see a path forward.  It is another to have the courage to walk that path.”  I said in response.

After all, I know where Foothill Village is and I know a great father when I see one!  There was no need to punch up my GPS for a description of fatherhood.  I’ve seen the many different paths people take toward fatherhood.  And, when my friend Jim Divver told me about walking the path with his son, during lunch at Hi Sushi all I needed to do was sit in my seat and, almost on auto pilot, see the example of how to be a great dad right in front of me.  It was a beautiful late winter day, the sun was shining, the food was great and there was no obstacle to hamper my hearing Jim’s heart-warming story.  And, I learned more than I ever really expected, about how a father walks the path on life’s journey with his children.

Oh!  But this path tale isn’t over.  When Jim’s son received the job offer of his dreams, the company representative said, “All of the final applicants looked almost identical on paper.  It was what you did to get here that set you a part from everyone else!”

It is one thing to see a path forward as a parent.  It is another to have the courage to walk life’s journey, hand-in-hand with those that are most dear to us. I call it, Divvering forward.