I have two daughters.

Audrey is over the age of Four (4) while Peyton just recently crossed Two (2). They are a delight to be with, not just because of their intelligence which is significantly astonishing, but because they are active and dramatic and could influence the mood, even at a carnival. What is even more admirable to watch is how sweet they could be. Being sweet as a child is adorable. I am often unable to reckon with the source of the sweetness or how they got there.

Here is one of my favorite photos of Audrey. And no, that is not me exerting violence on another of Gods creatures

Back to my line of thought. It is the first day of a new year today and I escaped to a solitary space in our house to chronicle my thoughts and crystallize some plans which I had been nursing for 2020. While I was at it, Audrey walked in, came close to me, ran her tiny fingers across my face and said “you are the best daddy in the world”.

How sweet!

While I am aware that the “best daddy in the world” award was not presented to me after any formal competition or award process, I still relish the award as well as the awarding institution because of the thought that gave birth to it. I bet that there are a few dads in Beijing, Cape Town or Taipei that may beat me to the award but it does not matter. She just wanted to say something nice to make me smile. That sounds like a good way to begin the year.

Saying a kind word, expressing some sweetness, paying a compliment, sharing a gift, being thoughtful, etc. are all things that come very cheap for us. Let us try to do these effortlessly in 2020. It could mean so much more than we can imagine, to the person receiving it.

For me, just in case you see me at some point in 2020 smiling sheepishly or being a globally renowned award winning rockstar, just remember that I have an award to back it up.