As I dropped off our oldest, Natalie, at pre-school on Tuesday morning – after two plus weeks off – she was carrying a poster board with her. She was assigned some ‘homework’ over winter break to share with her class all the things she has done during her school vacation. Natalie got to pick out the pictures, descriptions, and eventually place them on the poster board. We printed them at CVS and used up about 2 pounds of glue to make sure nothing moved (she should win heaviest poster board if they are going to rank them!).
And now why am I sharing this? Not because Natalie (and her sister Holly) had a great winter break – but because some of the moments she picked out were small to me, but large and impactful to her. Like visiting Dad in his office and having a snack (see the attached picture of the girls watching Bloomberg on the comfy chairs). This was a great point of reflection for this past year and how we are looking forward to 2024.
2023 was a great year for many, but our firm experienced an uptick in adverse health events for our clients. We had more people get sick and pass away than normal, some young and unexpected. When speaking with the families after these events they reflect on how they miss the small moments and even some of the big. It is a constant reminder to me that you need to be present and focused on all parts of life no matter the size of the moment in front of you. While it could be small for you, it may be big for others around you.
2024 is set up to bring many exciting opportunities, both personally and professionally. On the personal side, our girls will turn 2 and 5. They have been asking a lot about going to Disney. Will we cave this year or hold out until next? They have been asking about a dog – I am not on board yet – but we shall see how those conversations go. Maybe Disney will buy me time?! Vacations – not booked yet this year, but we plan to take the girls on a trip somewhere fun. Any suggestions?
As we close out last year and start fresh this year, don’t forget to take time to look at all that you accomplished and celebrate that. Those moments can be both small and large as Natalie taught me earlier this week. We look forward to connecting with each and every one of you in 2024.
Until next time…
