The second act of my life

I once I had a quasi-second act when I returned to Opera Software after a 2-year hiatus following a 4-year stint at the company. While it may have been triumphant in some ways, it merely underscored that life can take many twists and turns and that nothing is permanent. 

Speaking of life taking twists and turns, I've gone out and trumped anything I've ever done in my semi-long existence.  On April 6th, 2009, life changed for me forever. That magnificent Monday marked the birth of my sweet Zoey Olivia Skye- my first child. The greatest single moment of my life.

On that day, a second act of my life officially began.

But before I get into that, let me talk a bit about the closing of the first act and what had to happen next. The official end of the first act was the day I found out my wife Negar was pregnant. That event triggered a whole new set of priorities for me and the creation of a personal transition plan. What I call a personal transition plan was really just a list of key things that I needed to do to prepare for the massive challenge of parenting. Within a 9-month intermission period, I would work to prepare myself for the second act. Some of the critical items on that list were:

• become significantly more efficient with my time (both work and personal)
• focus solely on those 20% of things that bring the greatest impact and happiness (happiness islands)
• get in better physical condition and increase my fleeting energy level  
• commit to creating stronger interpersonal relationships with colleagues and friends  
• build a stronger bond with my distributed family all over the world  
• rethink our family financial plan and my personal & professional goals to account for a child     
• support Negar as much as possible around the house and at the dental practice

Fast forward to today, and my little girl is 1-week old. I'm 1-week into what I hope will be a long and rewarding second act. I am fairly optimistic that I am equipped to take on this great task and responsibility. Over the last week, both at the hospital and our home, I have devoted entire days to caring for Zoey (and my wife) in almost every way. Each day brings a whole new set of learnings...and sometimes tears of joy. It occurred just last night while I was holding her in my arms (after a particularly fussy episode) and she was looking straight up at me with those sparkling eyes. I had no choice but to succumb to the joy and the wonderment of that special moment. It surely won't be the last time she owns me.

I now know first hand how friends and relatives felt when they were in those trying early days with their first child. It's truly hard work with very little, if any, sleep. It's about the most demanding undertaking a couple can experience together. It's also the most 'real' experience that we humans have in our short time on this Earth. 

I hope I can someday share these thoughts and emotions with Zoey when she is older and can process them. By then- the third act- I am betting that she can teach me something too.