The Agony and the Ecstasy

(the pressures & privileges of parents & CEOs)

I’m leaning forward on the edge of my seat, waiting for the doctor to speak.

She consults her notes and looks over at me and my wife.

“Your child…”

It’s bullet time from the Matrix films as seconds pass between each drop of rain on the windows.

I can hear my heartbeat.

“…has responded really well to the casting. At this stage, we don’t see a need for further intervention.”

My exhale is audible. I grin at Jade like we’ve won the lottery, and squeeze her hand which I’ve been holding for my own comfort.

The contrast with our visit 3 months previously could not be greater.

We’d gone in for a routine scan. My mind was on the kebab shop we pass on the way home when the doctor drops the bombshell.

Our daughter has hip dysplasia (affects 1 in 10 babies) and will have to wear a cast for 12 weeks. If this doesn’t fix it, she faces years of…

Thankfully I never have to fully understand the next stage.

It reminded me of when I last had responsibility for other lives.

The tension of observing external events unfold that I have no control over, but could decimate profitability and force redundancies.

At least there I could throw myself into backup measures.

Yet ultimately it comes to the same – a nerve-racking waiting game.

But when it works out…

The financial rewards for CEOs can be immense. Even more satisfying for me was knowing other people are now in a better place – your team, your customers, your stakeholders.

The rewards for parents…

Clayton Christensen said it takes decades to realise.

He’s a phenomenal intellectual. But as Lyra rests her head on my shoulder to sleep, I bask in the warmth of my love for her and beg to differ.

Then my prefrontal cortex helpfully pipes up:

“No further intervention… at this stage.”

The uncertainty never goes away.

But then again, without darkness,
light would have no meaning.

~~~
𝘏𝘰𝘸 𝘥𝘰 𝘺𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘰𝘱𝘦 𝘸𝘪𝘵𝘩 𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘦𝘳𝘵𝘢𝘪𝘯𝘵𝘺 𝘢𝘴 𝘢 𝘱𝘢𝘳𝘦𝘯𝘵 𝘰𝘳 𝘭𝘦𝘢𝘥𝘦𝘳?