Like everyone our lives are busy. We hustle out here on the road with things that have to be done every day and then we go home and have another huge list of things we have to get caught up on. There is a never and I mean a never-ending list of things that need to be done and sometimes that can get overwhelming.
The other day while talking to a friend who has been invaluable to me by way of mentorship was not in a very good mood. He mentioned that I really owed him, which I do, and I said what do you want? Flowers, chocolates, time? He said the only reason you are offering time is that time is cheap. That took me back as my time is very valuable and sending flowers and/or chocolate would have been the easy and cheapest way to partially repay my debt. I know there is no way I will ever repay what all my mentor has done for me over the years.
When we are at home I want to be at home as in this case, it will be about four months since we have slept at our house. Granted we will be home for probably a month, but during that month I have a lot of catching up to do, doctor visits, preparing our business for the end of the year and getting ready to start a new year, and I hope this time getting our truck ready to sell in preparation for our new truck. Leaving home to drive into town takes up at least one-half of a day and we will only spend this time with someone that is pretty special to us.
The holidays are approaching and once again our minds turn to gifts we need to purchase and yet I want to rebel against this long-standing tradition. How many gifts do you remember receiving in the past or for that matter giving? The opposite of giving gifts is spending time with people and that brings back lots and lots of memories. When asked what I want for my birthday or a holiday it is always time, time to play cards, time to take a drive or make a special meal. Give me the gift of time.
Recently we delivered in Tulsa, OK in the middle of the week and while to many 500 miles is not close to us it was close enough to go visit Bob’s mom in Elkhart, KS. For those that have been near, though, or looked up Elkhart you will realize that this small town is not really near anything. Our family is very important to Bob and I and getting this close to a family member we have not seen in several months took priority and we spent a few days in Elkhart before heading back out on the road to earn our living.
Bob and I stay busy and often taking the time to visit with friends or family will put us behind on projects we need to finish but the priority is still there. At the end who will care if we finished the project? The memories will be of time spent with loved ones.
Running our own business allows us to work in this time and put the business on hold while we visit. The key for us to be able to spend this quality time with no stress is having a financially sound business, keeping expenses low, and always remember run smarter not harder.
