Sunset, you and me

We’ve been going for long walks on the beach almost every day You attached to me in the Baby Bjorn It’s noisy with cars, but we walk as far into the bush as we can, to get away from the …

In the Land of Giants

I hate being away from you Yoni. I like to see the world but I hate being away from you.

When I do travel abroad I am reminded just how big a place the world is and how small we are within it.

There are some cities in the world that are truly gigantic.

And not just big in terms of their physical size [just like there are giant people who are physically small]

Here I mean that these cities are big in other ways too: there are big things going on in them; they are magnets for all the people in the world.

When you visit them you can see the faces, shapes and colors of visitors from many different countries and you can hear their different languages.

On a clear day, you can look up to the sky and see planes coming and going constantly – that’s also the sign of an important city.

Of course I’m speaking about New York and London

The buildings, the people, the history of these two places is immense

They have both produced many giants, in industry, politics, literature, in everything

This last time in London I was anxious and fearful before a speech I had to give to some very important people, giants in their fields really.

I am fearful of public speaking, and the moment weighed on me heavily all throughout my visit

I find the key to having to do something you fear doing is to prepare for it very well.

Don’t do anything in half-measures son; don’t leave things in your preparation undone – they will come to haunt you at the very moment you need them most.

Still, even with all the preparation in the world, the moment you have to step up and play your part is always scary.

When the moment came, I stood up when my name was called, took one last look at the picture of you that Your Mother had sent,

And walked up to the podium and gave my talk. Remember son, things are never as bad as you imagine them to be.

The photo of you standing in your cot and smiling gave me courage. I gave my speech, and forgot about the fear I had felt for the past 3 days.

You give me courage Yoni, because as long as I am your father there is nothing more important for me to do,

Whatever I’m doing at the moment lasts only until I come back to you,

As long as I am your father there is no place more important I need to be, nowhere else I’d rather be.

As long as I am your father I am a giant

As long as I am your father I will face my fear a little more easily,

That’s not to mean that I will be fearless; beware of being fearless, and beware of men who say they are fearless – they are actually reckless.

As I’ve written for you here before, fear is healthy, it is natural, you must feel its presence, acknowledge it, and face it – do not deny it

And once you prepare what you need to prepare, and once you face your fear, and do what you need to do, you will grow as a man.

And then you will realize, son, what everyone around you can already see: that you are already a giant.