Ed
It really is a gift.
Our definition of self has become so short sighted that doing the right thing becomes a challenge for anyone to remember. Imagine trying to do the right thing in a startup, if we aren't practicing it in every day life with every thought and action.
Seeing my parents getting a little older is tough. Where they used to take me to all my doctors appointments whenever I needed it, now more and more, I'm taking them.
Why's this important? Priorities and balance and making the most of your time is so important.
In waiting rooms I see maybe one in 10 adults accompanied by their kids. My parents are comfortable going to appointments without me, so it means a lot they even ask me, maybe to see the same feeling of finding a familiar face in the waiting room, or someone to help remember what the doctor said.
Sadly we have a generation that feels its ok to believe everything is about us, at the expense of being there for others who are greatly responsible for our greatness. Some of the deepest, satisfying moments are when I get to be witness to someone's story.
Doing the right thing is for the sake of the right thing being done, not how someone takes it, sees it, or expects you to be there for them. There inevitably are things that need to be done regardless of personalities and positions.
I hope we never forget to find and live by our values that give us a deep sense of connection with ourselves and through it to those in our lives. All we have at the end of the day is making memories. Everything can go to hell but you can revisit a memory anytime, and keep creating new ones.