“Tell me, what is it you plan to do with your one wild and precious life?”
I just want to be a good dad.
And I want to build something.
When I was learning how to pitch, my dad went and got full equipment and learned to play catcher at age 49. He left work early and spent cold March afternoons earning bumps and bruises, diving from wild pitches.
I don’t want to be in a boardroom. I want to do things like that for my kids.
When I was a little boy, my mom was a lawyer in private practice. She left work early and took me to the park for ice cream and a ride on the carousel.
I want to build a company by day, but take my kids to the park for ice cream by late afternoon. I’ve already started doing the building.
When I have a little boy and a little girl and they ask me what I do, I want to hold their hands, point up at something and say, “I built that.” I want to tell them that something in the world exists only because I decided it should. And at the end of my one wild and precious life, if I’ve been a good dad, and built something, I will be happy.
— Robert Duke Biederman