Whenever people tell me they miss the newborn days of being parents, I invite them to visit me during the evenings and in the middle of the night to take over.

Since few are willing to take me up on that offer, I fall back on a technique in order to appreciate the moments I have, with wailing cries and all.

I do a bit of time traveling.

When my first child was an infant and his cries pushed my sleep exhausted patience to its limit, I would travel in my mind to a previous time when the thought of being a dad was overwhelmingly exciting. I would work through the emotions I had of how amazing it was going to be to hold a new life in my hands.

Then, I would place myself back in the moment and things became much different – more joyful.

With my current child, I travel to a future where I’ll be looking back on this moment and wishing to hold on to it. It’s those feelings that cause me to hold tight and savour what I have in front of me.

When my phone has an endless deluge of messages from family and friends, I go back to a time when I first moved to this city and knew nobody. The first month was spent without anybody to call upon or visit and traveling home was too far for a casual trek.

The messages now are an indication of how far I’ve come with connecting to so many wonderful people and it gives my previous, isolated self an appreciative spirit.

Time traveling is not just for the realm of science fiction or speculative talk around physicists. It can be an effective tool for appreciating the moment in front of you when you feel like nothing else will work.