Pulling Apart vs. Bringing Together

I love business travel. Since my first opportunity to travel for work (Denver in August 2005), I've loved it. In the front half of my career, the travel was primarily domestic (NYC leads the way with 24 trips, followed by South Florida with nine, and Los Angeles with eight). In the last eight years, it's been more international (mainly Middle East and SE Asia).

There's so much to love about travel, business or otherwise. Seeing new sights, experiencing different cultures, meeting unique people, staying in interesting hotels, and learning something new about yourself. I always love the trips.

Along the way, I learned a few particular people don't always love the trips: two little boys. They don't ask much of me.....just 100% of my attention 100% of the time. No big deal....haha!!

Business travel always felt like a positive for me.....until one particular trip. It was September 2018. I was throwing the final few items in my bag before heading to the airport. I was flying to the Middle East and would be gone for nine days. Though Sarah was supportive of this trip, I could see the stress and nervousness in her eyes. Not because I was heading to the Middle East, but rather the stress of caring for twin two-year-olds for more than a week without me being around. To top off the moment, this particular day was Finn and Pax's second birthday....ouch!

I've been mindful and intentional about my trips since that experience. I still enjoy them as much as ever, but it's always hard to leave the family. After some of these experiences, I realized a shift needed to happen. Luckily (or unluckily) for me, two consecutive events transformed my relationship with business travel: I left my prior career, and COVID shut down our world.

As my new career started to grow and the world opened back up, I finally had my opportunity to put my money where my mouth was. If business travel had historically pulled our family apart, was there a way to use the same business travel to bring it together? It was an interesting experiment, but I was up for the challenge.

We tested this idea by bringing the entire family to Los Angeles earlier in the summer. Not only were we able to create some amazing memories (Disney, beach, food, more beach), but they were also present for some of my work. Sarah attended one of my talks and also watched me deliver a sermon at a church.

This week, we're trying it again. I'm spending the next eight days with a client in Midland, TX. Instead of being absent from my family for the home stretch leading up to school starting, we're using this opportunity for one last family summer adventure.

I don't know how this experiment will play out in the long run, but I'm excited to find out. I hope it provides meaningful work, tons of new memories, and brings us all together in powerful new ways.

A Good Day's Work

Have I ever mentioned how much I love work? Not because it's fun (it's often not), but because it matters. There's something really fulfilling about waking up in the morning, serving people well, using our gifts and talents, and coming home knowing we gave it everything we had. Yesterday was a perfect example of it:

• 4:45 AM: Woke up in Midland, TX, and made my way to the airport.

• 7:00 AM: Flight to Houston.

• 9:00 AM: Tour of my client's dry ice manufacturing facility and meetings with their team.

• 1:30 PM: Drive to the Houston airport.

• 3:00 PM: Flight back to Midland.

• 4:30 PM: In the office to continue making headway on our project.

• 7:30 PM: Dinner with my client.

• 9:00 PM: Back to the hotel

It was a 16-hour whirlwind. Not what I would do every day, but it was an amazingly satisfying day. I was completely exhausted, but I felt great as the day wrapped up! I laid my head on the pillow knowing I did something worth doing. 

There was a season in my life where I might have thought to myself, "Ugh, I can't believe I'm still working." Now, It's an honor. Work isn't something we have to do.....it's something we get to do. Whenever we work, we serve people (co-workers, bosses, employees, customers, etc.) and add value to their lives. It's not always fun, but it matters. 

Work matters. Even if you're not at your dream job, your work still matters. Even if you're not working a ton of hours, your work still matters. Even if it feels like your job kinda sucks, your work still matters. Even if you’re working in a different industry than you’d like, your work still matters. Even if you're in an entry-level job, your work still matters. Please don't ever demean your role and the value you add to this world. It matters. It's a blessing to be able to work, and not everyone is physically and mentally healthy enough to do that. If you are, be grateful. It's a gift.