Winter Blog
To say that I love this time of year would be an understatement. I pulled the ladder out of the garage on October 30th. Unfortunately, Han caught me and put her foot down. Reasoning that we had to at least wait until Halloween’s over before I can put lights on the house. So I put them up the week after. I’m pretty sure our neighbors hate me.
But to be fair, I’m also the guy on the roof on January 1st taking the lights down. As fast as this year has flown by, this was my futile attempt to slow it all down and enjoy as much of the holidays as possible.
As I write this, the holidays are in full swing. This last year (or 18 months) has been anything but normal, but it’s been exactly what I needed. Like many of you, it’s allowed me to take a breath, take a step back and re-evaluate. While it’s largely reinforced a lot of my goals and beliefs, it’s also given me more perspective.
Pre-pandemic, I was out of the house by 5:30am (before Tyler or the family were awake) and usually home with only an hour and a half to squeeze in bath time, dinner and a quick bedtime story. And once Tyler was in bed, I wasn’t far behind. Don’t get me wrong, this is a very normal schedule for any working family and I was quite content with my routine. But as they say, you don’t know what you don’t know.
Without a gym to workout in and an office to rush off to afterwards, I allowed myself to sleep in a little longer. On the surface, this trivial change in my sleep schedule didn’t seem like a lot. But it translated into morning cuddles with Tyler when he would wander into our room hugging all the stuffed animals he could carry and rubbing his little eyes. It meant having breakfast and coffee with my family every morning. It meant stolen moments throughout the day. Moments that found Tyler running into my home office with his latest LEGO masterpiece or just to give me a hug. It also meant I could stay up a little later and talk with Han or just binge Squid Games with the rest of the world. You’ve all heard us say that we subscribe to the idea that time is much more valuable than money. This was also a great reminder that it’s just as important to be very intentional about how you spend that time.
As we close out this year, I’m feeling very grateful. Grateful for my family and friends, for my team and for the opportunity to serve each and every one of you. As always, thank you for your friendship and for your trust in us. Wishing you a wonderful rest of the year. See you all in 2022!