to be fully present
question: What was the author's desire toward his daughter?, context: I could not change her father’s decision, but I could bring love and honesty into our dialogue about it. I presented digestible facts and hoped they would suffice. But in that moment, as the man’s car disappeared from view, a fact I never considered came to light and took precedence over all others: My alternate reality was mine alone. My daughter didn’t reflect on her absent father at every dance recital and parent-teacher conference, as I did. She simply experienced the moment. It hadn’t occurred to me that I could follow suit. I had taken refuge in what could’ve been, but my task was not to try to restore a life that had slipped away. My job was to be fully present in the life before us, and to see this road not as an alternate route, but as a worthy, viable path — one we could trust.
What was the author's desire toward his daughter?
My job was to be fully present in the life before us, and to see this road not as an alternate route, but as a worthy, viable path — one we could trust.
I could not change her father’s decision, but I could bring love and honesty into our dialogue about it. I presented digestible facts and hoped they would suffice. But in that moment, as the man’s car disappeared from view, a fact I never considered came to light and took precedence over all others: My alternate reality was mine alone. My daughter didn’t reflect on her absent father at every dance recital and parent-teacher conference, as I did. She simply experienced the moment. It hadn’t occurred to me that I could follow suit. I had taken refuge in what could’ve been, but my task was not to try to restore a life that had slipped away. My job was to be fully present in the life before us, and to see this road not as an alternate route, but as a worthy, viable path — one we could trust.
My job was <hl> to be fully present <hl> in the life before us, and to see this road not as an alternate route, but as a worthy, viable path — one we could trust.
I could not change her father’s decision, but I could bring love and honesty into our dialogue about it. I presented digestible facts and hoped they would suffice. But in that moment, as the man’s car disappeared from view, a fact I never considered came to light and took precedence over all others: My alternate reality was mine alone. My daughter didn’t reflect on her absent father at every dance recital and parent-teacher conference, as I did. She simply experienced the moment. It hadn’t occurred to me that I could follow suit. I had taken refuge in what could’ve been, but my task was not to try to restore a life that had slipped away. My job was <hl> to be fully present <hl> in the life before us, and to see this road not as an alternate route, but as a worthy, viable path — one we could trust.
I could not change her father’s decision, but I could bring love and honesty into our dialogue about it. I presented digestible facts and hoped they would suffice. But in that moment, as the man’s car disappeared from view, a fact I never considered came to light and took precedence over all others: My alternate reality was mine alone. My daughter didn’t reflect on her absent father at every dance recital and parent-teacher conference, as I did. She simply experienced the moment. It hadn’t occurred to me that I could follow suit. I had taken refuge in what could’ve been, but my task was not to try to restore a life that had slipped away. <hl> My job was to be fully present in the life before us, and to see this road not as an alternate route, but as a worthy, viable path — one we could trust. <hl>