The Best Thirteen Months Ever

It's back to the corporate world for me. Today, was my first day at work.

I decided to take a break from full-time employment in September 2006 and so far, I can safely say that the past thirteen months were the best thirteen months ever.

It was an eye-opener to say the least. I finally found out how it was not to do the "daily grind;" how opportunities pop up when you are receptive to them; and how not having as much regular cash come in can be very educational and revealing.

It was a good time to bond with family and friends. I strengthened ties with friends whose time schedules were also relatively free. I discovered things about my kids and accumulated countless stories about them. I realized the things that I missed all these years.

I found the perfect life. So why am I back to the corporate world? Duty calls. There are bills to be paid, kids to be sent to school, trips to take. Also, I found an opportunity that I have been wanting to try out since years ago. It has nothing to do with credit which I've been doing for the last 14 years. Doing something different is always good. Whether you like it or not, in the process or in the end, you always learn something and you always discover something about yourself.

So we shall see how this return to the corporate world goes. It's 10 years till I'm 50 so maybe we can target that for the next mini-retirement.

As for time and schedule management, this will have to be a focus of mine for I still intend to tutor my kids, go to all their school activities and teacher's meetings -- the works.

In the past thirteen months, I have realized that the 13 months that I have invested in spending more time with the kids is worth much more than all the salary that I could have received during that period. It's an investment that I will never regret making and which I have branded as my best 13 months ever.

It is important to spend time with your kids. It may be difficult for working parents to spend as much time with them as we would want but we need to make time despite our busy schedules. Already, I have promised my daughter some play time at night, before she goes to sleep, even on working days. For it's in time spent with them, that true bonding happens.

Here's a good reminder that we found in one of the places that we visited (I think that it was the Tech Museum in San Jose) when we vacationed in the US last summer:

"I tried to teach my child with books. He gave me only puzzled looks.
I tried to teach my child with words. They passed by him oft unheard.
Despairingly, I turned aside,
'How shall I teach this child?' I cried.
Into my hand he put the key.
'Come,' he said, 'and play with me.'"