Never forget what’s important, and don’t sweat the small stuff. I know, I know. You’ve heard this before.

During this past weekend, I listened to my buddy Gabe’s podcast, Generational – something I usually do, but this one was a gem. Gabe was chatting with Merlin Mann about parenting – something that I’m of course interested in.

I listened to the first half while I prepped for Bryce’s 10th birthday party. Trope time: You always hear parents say “time flies”, but it’s true. The big takeaway is that you can’t let the time pass you without stopping to take notice. Keep memories fresh. You can easily lose them. In listening to Gabe and Merlin chat about the fantastic journey of parenting, I reminisced about my own travels through life with kids – more specifically how great a mom my wife is, and how I always strive to be a better dad, especially when it’s hard. I know that this is a weird non-linear post, but I want to stress how important each minute with the people you care about is.

One morning earlier this week, I did the usual browsing of my Twitter timeline to find this. Federico has a clear PET scan. That made my morning. A close Internet friend is healthy, and in getting there “kicked cancer’s ass”. Later that same day, I got news that one of my wife and I’s oldest “IRL” friends, who is also battling cancer, is losing the fight. Quickly. She has a daughter 6 months younger than Bryce. She’s been a friend since we were 15. She was in our wedding. The list goes on. Let’s revisit another annoying trope: Life is short.