Fatherhood can feel like being caught in a whirlwind of chaos and noise. The struggle for time, sleep, and order is real, especially with kids around. Yet, amidst the mayhem, the key lies in finding moments of stillness. Morning quiet times and reflections after bedtime can be treasures. Engaging in mindfulness and savoring slow walks can create a sense of calm. These little pockets of peace are essential for parents to recharge and maintain balance in their hectic lives. Embrace the chaos, but don't forget to seek the stillness.
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Finding Stillness
Find stillness amidst the chaos of fatherhood, even with crying babies or teenagers.
Embrace quiet moments like early mornings, after kids' bedtime, or slow walks from school.
volunteer_activism ADVICE
Embrace Quiet Moments
Savor small moments of peace during your day.
Reflect and recharge by journaling or enjoying quiet time instead of defaulting to distractions.
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In 'Stillness is the Key', Ryan Holiday explores the concept of inner stillness as a universal principle across different philosophical and religious traditions, including Stoicism, Buddhism, Epicureanism, and more. The book is divided into three sections: stillness of the mind, stillness of the spirit, and stillness of the body. Holiday argues that cultivating stillness allows for better decision-making, increased focus, and a more fulfilling life. He uses anecdotes from historical figures and contemporary examples to illustrate the importance of moderation, patience, and self-awareness in achieving this state of stillness[2][3][5].
This change we’ve made, this decision to become dads—it has uprooted everything. It’s like we were hit, suddenly, with a crossfire hurricane. The house is a mess. The schedule is grueling. There is never enough sleep, never enough time in the day.
Even the cool, quiet dark is pierced by the shriek of a man who has stepped on a pile of Legos… and the shriek is coming from your mouth. Yet to be good at our jobs, to be good at this fatherhood thing, we need stillness. We need time to reflect. We need focus. We need calm to restore and reboot us.
Where will we find it? It won’t be, as Seneca and Marcus Aurelius remind us, in fleeing to the country or to the sea. It won’t be those measly two weeks of vacation or by cutting and running. No, we must find the stillness within the chaos. It might not feel like these moments of quiet can exist with all the crying babies or arguing teenagers, but they can.
We must go within. We must find it, early in the morning before the house is awake. We must drink in those minutes after the kids are in bed—really drink it in, don’t defer it in favor of Netflix. We must take time with a journal. We must enjoy that cute, but preposterously slow, walk from school to the car, or from the car back into the house. Soak up the garbage time. Soak up the quiet. Store these moments in your soul so you can have them always.
You must find the stillness. So much depends on it.
The Daily Dad 