Family Matters

Today I had the pleasure of catching up with a bunch of old friends and colleagues from Richmond. We attended the annual holiday luncheon for the local MPI chapter. As we sat around the table trading updates on family and business, I found myself particularly excited about the upcoming Christmas holiday.

For one reason or another, in years past I've worked most of the holiday week, except Christmas day. I joked today that my typical Christmas Eve routine was to work until about noon, rush to the mall on the way home and pull into the drive just in time for dinner, with unwrapped, spontaneously purchased gifts in the trunk. This year is going to be different - I decided to take vacation time for the whole week.

To those who know me well, it's no secret that I am a workaholic and for better or worse my wife is very supportive and rarely complains about it. The truth is (as it is for most workaholics) that at the sacrifice of perhaps a more fulfilling personal life, my professional achievements have been accelerated. Well, with the economic situation as it is, the uncertainties of life seem to be highlighted of recent. This year I've come to appreciate this reality: that while the yo-yo stock market is humbling to investors large and small, and while jobs (and accompanying prestige) can change overnight, there is one constant - family. I've been fortunate (so far) to have maintained a good job, but I know many who haven't been so lucky and I've certainly lost the sense of security that I once had. I've lost half my savings like most Americans, but it wasn't ever enough to make or break my lifestyle so I don't dwell on it. Through this year and others the only permanent constant has been a great family.

So, this year I have decided to honor that by taking off all of Christmas week and spending it with my wife and beautiful children. My in-laws are coming to visit and we already live near my family, so we'll have the best of it all! Money or no money, job or no job, cable or no cable (we cut that out of our budget), we have each other and that is worth remembering this holiday season.

Merry Christmas!

Go, take a trip to see your family! It's good for the economy and your psyche!