Father’s Day and the summer solstice do not land together very often.
However you count the next one, we have a lot of years to wait before this alignment comes around again. That makes today feel worth noticing.
A day for fathers.
A day for light.
A day that marks the start of a new season.
When seasons change, it is a good time to pause. Not for too long, because the work rarely stops coming, but long enough to look around and ask what season you are actually in.
As a father, builder, and business owner, I keep learning that the work never really disappears. It just changes shape.
Sometimes you are planting seeds for a future harvest. Sometimes you are repairing things that did not go as well as you hoped. Sometimes you are trying to appreciate what is already growing right in front of you. And if you are lucky, you get another chance to reap what you sowed, learn from it, and prepare better for the next season.
My son is almost four now, and he is fully in his “why?” phase.
No matter where we are, what we are doing, or what we are talking about, he wants to know why.
Why does that happen?
Why do we do it that way?
Why can’t I have that?
Why is it time to leave?
Why?
It is fun. It is also humbling. Explaining life in the simplest possible terms is harder than it sounds. I never thought I would be the dad who said “because I said so,” but I may have said it more times than I care to admit.
That little question has been following me into my work too.
A lot of my life right now is building, planning, reaching out, managing money, writing, marketing, experimenting, and trying to grow Transcendent Software into the next season. It is exciting. It is also a patience exercise.
For most of my career, I was used to feedback coming from somewhere. Sometimes it was good feedback. Sometimes it was frustrating feedback. Sometimes I had to wait longer than I wanted for the right feedback. But feedback is feedback. It helps steer the ship.
Now the feedback loops are different.
Some days are outreach. Some days are writing. Some days are building CoffeeBreak. Some days are working on Open Jibo. Some days are finances, planning, or figuring out what message will connect with the right person at the right time.
The work is still there. The season is just different.
And maybe that is the lesson of Father’s Day landing on the solstice.
The longest day is not empty just because there is more light. It gives you more room to notice what needs attention.
Where are the seeds going in?
What needs repair?
What have I already been given?
What is this season asking of me?
My son keeps asking why because he is trying to understand the world.
I think adults need that question too. Maybe especially when we are busy. Maybe especially when we are building something new.
Why am I doing this?
Why does this matter?
Why this way?
Why now?
Some seasons are for planting. Some are for harvest. Some are for repair. Some are for patience.
The trick is learning which one you are in.
Happy Father’s Day to all the dads out there. I hope you get a little extra light today, and maybe a minute to notice what this season is asking of you. ☕
