The 2017 100 Wrap-Up: 31 Successes.

Last updated on April 30th, 2021 at 04:56 pm

Several weeks, a few dozen photos and four thousand words later, we’ve finally made it—the Casey Palmer, Canadian Dad 2017 wrap-up, filled with stories aplenty of 365 days spent in my not-so-orthodox life.

After wrapping the year up on a quiet note (because two sick children under five will do that to you), I still felt it necessary to do this. These year-to-year changeovers offer a lot of perspective for me—with so much happening all the time, I often forget what I had for breakfast, so I write everything down. And if the height of the pile on my desk is any sign, 2017 was quite the year. But it’s also the time where I’m the most transparent, looking back objectively at everything I’ve done and celebrating successes, owning up to failures, hoping all the while that I’m somehow growing from the process.

But yeah—let’s do this as we did in 2016: look at the year in excruciating detail, figuring out what’s worth taking with me into 2018 versus what doesn’t feel part of my world anymore.

Ladies and gentlemen, let me present—the 31 things I did well in 2017! Let’s get it!

Leon’s | Project Smart Furniture!

Last updated on November 17th, 2020 at 02:24 am

I try to get everything I want from life without sacrificing time with my family.

Getting Back to What Matters With Leon's Project Smart Furniture!—The FamilyThough I wouldn’t fully appreciate what it meant ’til later in life, my Dad put hours in at his restaurant for over 20 years to provide for us. Back then it meant making a choice—working 12- to 16-hour days six days a week to support the lives he wanted for us, or spend time at home and deny us the opportunities and access he knew we’d need to excel.

In short, he did it so my brothers and I needn’t do the same.

Years later, I work hard to keep the balance and make sure the family’s a foremost concern in my life—but I could do better. The blog, the job and other distractions mean I’m not always as present as I’d like to be, and I always intend to make myself as available to Sarah and the boys as I can.

But you know what they say—”if wishes were fishes, we’d all cast nets.” I’ll need more than intent to make it work!

Getting Back to What Matters With Leon's Project Smart Furniture!—Smart FurnitureAnd apparently, I’m not alone—Leon’s recently ran Project Smart Furniture, a social experiment looking to see just how good Canadians are at spending time together. How good? Not good at all—the average Canadian family spends only 14% of their time together*, so Leon’s challenges us to change our ways and stop losing track of each other.

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