This past Sunday was International Women’s Day, a worldwide celebration of women’s contributions and achievements. Since today is Woman Power Wednesday, choosing this morning’s Nugget was an easy decision. I want to honor the four women who quietly sit at the heart of many things I’ve written.
My wife Cathy.
And our three daughters, Sally, Emily, and Lucy.
Where the Nuggets Began
Some of you who attended my TEDx Cary talk last weekend heard a small part of this story. The idea for Nuggets from Dad started during a moment many parents eventually face. Our oldest daughter had just gone to university, and the house felt different all of a sudden. One day, you’re a family of five. The next day, you’re a family of four.
That first Monday of Sally’s first week away at school, I sat down early in the morning with a cup of coffee and wrote her a short note. I called it Make it a Great Monday. The next morning, I wrote another message and called it Stay Whole Tuesday. When Wednesday arrived, the theme became Woman Power Wednesday. Thursday turned into Make Anything Thursday, and Friday became Fit as a Fiddle Friday.
At the time, it didn’t seem like a project. It felt more like a simple routine — wake up early, pour some coffee, and send a quick message to the girls before starting the day.
Fifteen Years of Morning Nuggets
Over time, those small notes accumulated. Weeks turned into months, and months turned into years. The girls grew into impressive young women pursuing creative lives and careers of their own, and those early morning messages continued arriving in their inboxes.
At some point, the count surpassed one thousand. Then it continued to increase. Today, the total is over fifteen hundred. Many sit on this site, some live into posterity on my old website.
Looking back, I realize the Nuggets were never truly about writing. They were about encouragement. They were about reminding three young women that their ideas, ambitions, creativity, and instincts were worth pursuing. The words were simply the vehicle.
Cheering the Girls On
In the TED talk, I introduced a word I made up – a cheero, which is a hero who cheers you on. Many of us can look back on our lives and recognize the cheeros who supported us along the way. These include parents, teachers, coaches, mentors, and friends who showed up at just the right moment and offered the encouragement we needed.
But if I am being honest, some of the most important cheeros in my own life have been sitting right across the breakfast table.
Cathy.
Sally.
Emily.
Lucy.
Woman Power Wednesday
So today’s Woman Power Wednesday is just a thank you.
Thank you for the mutual encouragement. Thank you for the laughter and creativity that seem to follow wherever the four of you go. And thank you for reminding me that the most meaningful forms of relevance rarely start with grand ambitions or public recognition.
More often, they begin close to home, in small daily acts of encouragement that accumulate quietly over time.
Fifteen minutes at a time.
Love,
Dad
