In 1974, Harry Chapin performed "Cat's in the Cradle" (buy it). As you think about easing into the long Thanksgiving weekend, I would love for you to read the lyrics to this important song. According to Wikipedia, Harry said the song was about his own relationship with his son, Josh, admitting, "Frankly, this song scares me to death." And remember that this song was written long before the days of iPhones, Androids, PCs, social media, and the Internet, which all allow you to live virtually while something important is happening right in front of you, "in real life".
You may also want to read this brilliant LinkedIn post from the CEO of RadiumOne about his 10 keys to happiness (note he starts with #1: "Unplug", and his #6 is related to this post as well: "Relationships are everything in life"). I find unplugging and reflecting a very important part of my growth, as I wrote about in my post about 7 lessons learned on the journey from founder to CEO (see #2: "The CEO must constantly work on self improvement and regularly take the time to reflect").
My child arrived just the other day
He came to the world in the usual way
But there were planes to catch and bills to pay
He learned to walk while I was away
And he was talkin' 'fore I knew it, and as he grew
He'd say "I'm gonna be like you dad
You know I'm gonna be like you"
And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home dad?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then
My son turned ten just the other day
He said, "Thanks for the ball, Dad, come on let's play
Can you teach me to throw", I said "Not today
I got a lot to do", he said, "That's ok"
And he walked away but his smile never dimmed
And said, "I'm gonna be like him, yeah
You know I'm gonna be like him"
And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then
Well, he came home from college just the other day
So much like a man I just had to say
"Son, I'm proud of you, can you sit for a while?"
He shook his head and said with a smile
"What I'd really like, Dad, is to borrow the car keys
See you later, can I have them please?"
And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then
I've long since retired, my son's moved away
I called him up just the other day
I said, "I'd like to see you if you don't mind"
He said, "I'd love to, Dad, if I can find the time
You see my new job's a hassle and kids have the flu
But it's sure nice talking to you, Dad
It's been sure nice talking to you"
And as I hung up the phone it occurred to me
He'd grown up just like me
My boy was just like me
And the cat's in the cradle and the silver spoon
Little boy blue and the man on the moon
When you comin' home son?
I don't know when, but we'll get together then son
You know we'll have a good time then
Enjoy Thanksgiving with your family and friends, and thank you for reading Lucky7.io and, most importantly, commenting (the .io stands for input-output, after all). Lucky7 isa tribute to my mother, and I miss her, and my father, dearly. And, finally, to my fellow Jewish friends and family, I say, "Happy Thanksgivukkah". It won't happen again until the year 79,811 (why?).
