In the last post I wrote about how I turned back at the trail head on an overnight hike I was really looking forward to.

Fast forward a few days and I’ve just finished reading two posts by Paul Graham on time and having kids. That’s when the pieces fell into place and I realised it was time to be honest with myself. Yes, I was concerned about being alone on the mountain without potential help in an emergency and that was partly why I decided to turn around, but the real reason was because of our daughter. I’d rather have woken up near her than alone on a mountain. I contemplated sleeping at the trail head for the night just to spend a long overdue night outdoors but found the emotional pull of her too strong. In no time at all my idea of happiness has gone through a seismic shift from wanting to be alone on the trail or road to wanting to spend as much time as possible with her. 

Nothing new here but… Graham admits he was a little scared to have kids and so was I. But now that it has happened I can’t think of anything better. A change in lifestyle was what I was always afraid of and as with everything when you’re afraid it’s usually a good sign that you’re on the right track.

Besides, I’ve just bought one of those fancy kid-carrying backpacks so now we can hike together.