The Most Important Gift You Can Give to Your Family is Your Time

As we all work hard to grow in our careers, we must not lose sight of what is most important in life. Sure, it's great to drive a great car, live in a comfortable neighborhood and "keep up with the Joneses," but there is more to it all than that. At the root of everything is providing for our families, which are there for us through thick and thin. They are the real reason for our hard work and sacrifice.

When you see wealthy neighborhoods, they are impressive. Big homes, well manicured lawns with gardeners to tend to them, and usually, an expensive car in the driveway. Behind every one of those lovely places is a hardworking person or people, who devote much time and energy to affording such a lifestyle. Some have to work harder than others, but in general it is a big job to keep the bills paid on upscale homes.

As a child, we lived in one of those homes. It was seven stories tall and was built into the side of a cliff formed by glacial rock. Though it didn't have an elevator, all our neighbors called it, the "Elevator House" because it was tall and imposing. It was a beautiful place to grow up, but nobody knows how hard my father worked to afford our lovely lifestyle. After he came home from work, dad would continue working after dinner in his home office. An architect's work is never done, it seems. They have a myraid of responsibilities to make sure the buildings that they design are sound and meet special codes. Stir into this the corporate politics and stress. Dad was always stressed and tired, so when he retired, it was the first time in many years that he got a break. After retiring, he began to smile much more, and enjoy some hard-earned freedom. It got me to thinking, about what a sacrifice he made, to make sure his family was well taken-care of. Was all that work worth it? It is a pleasure to see him relaxed, and enjoy doing things he wanted to do when younger, but never had the time to do.
If you are a over-worked and over-stressed worker of any kind, allow yourself to take time to put work aside and spend quality time with your family. It will lengthen your life and make them happy, too. If you don't have the time, find it. I know it's hard sometimes, but the work will be there when you return. Do something that allows you and your family to be together, fully participating in an outing or project. Take a day-trip, have a picnic, or go to the zoo. Find something that all of you will enjoy and do it. Life is short, too short, and we need to seize the moment more often.

Using myself as an example, I live a half mile from the ocean, and haven't gone much due to work. Having moved all the way to Florida from Ohio to be near the beach, work had consumed me and I always thought, "I'll do it tomorrow." But, tomorrow didn't come. I worked tirelessly in my home office, putting in long hours and taking little time for fun. Stress started to set in.

Then, my body gave out. All that sitting caused a herniated disk in my back. For twelve weeks, I was flat on my back most of the time, and experiencing the incredible pain of sciatica. Being unable to move freely is a humbling experience for someone who has never had problems like it before. It can make the strongest person quickly disabled, and I was unable to walk or sit up much. I missed weeks worth of precious work to heal my agonizingly sore body, with a boatload of painkillers and steroids to keep the pain from overwhelming me. Finally, with physical therapy and time, it went away. I had a new lease on life. It took something that severe to show me that the time to live is now, not tomorrow. I went to the beach and enjoyed myself. My strength slowly returns as I allow myself to enjoy things that before were not that important to me. Not having kids of my own, my revelation was beneficial to my own well-being. I call my parents more often now, my eyes are open now to the fact that life and family shouldn't be taken for granted.

Allow yourself to spend quality time with those you love. Do it now, while you're all living under the same roof and have the energy to enjoy life to the fullest. Later on, the kids will go off on their own, so enjoy them while they're still young. Little things mean a lot to a child. Even if it's just making cookies or watching tv together at home, it is time well spent. I know your work time is money, but family time is priceless. The happier you are, the happier your family will be. It's nice to have the good toys and perks, but the best things in life are free.