Just Do It

I just saw the Nike commercial that honors Tiger Woods' father, Earl, who just passed away from a long battle with prostate cancer. The images are powerful, and depict a strong bond between father and son.

So I hopped online to learn a little more about their relationship and came across a story where Tiger himself sums it up best. When asked what his father's special gift was as a coach, he said:

"Love. That's basically it. The love we shared for one another and the respect we shared was something that's pretty special. To have my dad in my life and have him be that supportive and that nurturing, it's pretty cool."

How seemingly simple, yet so very complex. To love, respect, support and nurture.

The pictures in the ad show the comfort of a hug, lessons being imparted, the pride and joy of a shared accomplishment, a father taking care of his son, time spent together. I'm sure any of us could string together photos and videos of similar moments and memories. The challenge really is in boiling down the moments and memories to their core and folding it into our everyday lives.

But work gets in the way. Deadlines loom. Bills need to be paid. The grass gets taller. Daily tactics often distract us from the big picture. Every one of us has the potential to love, to respect, to support and to nurture. But that's not what's on my mind when dinner's on the stove, school papers come out of the backpack for review and comment, the phone rings, the girls procrastinate with every bite, baths need to be given, teeth need to be brushed and laundry needs to be folded every night.

So I went looking for some inspiration to regain perspective and found some good reminders. I owe it to my kids to remember that they won't be able to juggle life's challenges if I don't teach them by example. And I need to think about it every day, not just on the third Sunday of June.

At the end of the day, we're all raising little tigers.