Today our daughter went off to start her four years at University. Yesterday we had the ‘dad talk’ – the somewhat self-indulgent attempt at sharing wisdom. The most pertinent piece of advice I tried to give her was to ‘make the most of it’; that it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity; that she will never be as ‘free’ again…
I have a photograph of a friend and I playing cricket on the lawn outside the house we shared (with others) for the second and third years of my own degree. I can remember it as if it was yesterday – but it was forty-five years ago.
And if someone offered me the chance to go back I’d take it in a heartbeat.
She knows the photo, and so could relate to the story – and hopefully the advice too. But it’s advice I need to to heed too. With her gone and my wife about to start work (and our son already away and just starting his third year at Uni), I’ll go from being a reasonably occupied / engaged person to one with a ton of time at his disposal.
“All that writing you’ll be able to do!” you might say. But it isn’t that easy, is it? There are questions of equilibrium and structure to be resolved in addition to meaningful occupation (in terms of ‘spending time’).
What did I tell my daughter? “You’ll never be as free again. Make the most of it.”
Easier said than done…?
Ian Gouge - Writer 