To work or not- Pricelss moments

To work or not, priceless moments

As most of you know I manage a Chiropractic practice here in Reisterstown. In the last few weeks I have heard the same question many times about closing the business during the holidays. So before I get into the purely business aspects of this I want to relate one of the moments in my life I consider priceless.
(Now before I start this I am going to say again I am NOT bashing my parents – they were great people who did the best they could with what they knew)

On May 31, 1986, at the age of 22, I married my husband Edward. My parents were – well less the enthused when I announced my engagement- it might have had something to do with the fact that when I announced my engagement they didn’t even know I was dating Edward. Ed’s and my relationship had gone from-“Hi, I’m” to “will you marry me” in about 6 weeks. In the 13 months we were engaged they got to know him and like him.

I had a traditional Polish catholic wedding. My Dad and I had agreed that there would be NO father /daughter dance. Well my Mom, Brother and several family friends decided to veto that idea. Before either of us could protest we were being pushed onto the dance floor to “Daddy’s little girl”. We were both an emotional mess during that dance. However, there was a very intimate conversation going on. My Dad told me during that dance that to him, he felt like he had been too busy while I was growing up, between work, Jaycees, Hugh O’Brien Foundation, PTA, etc he felt he had missed a great deal of my growing up. He said to him it was felt like overnight I had gone for the infant he would bounce to sleep- to the 16 year old that was learning to drive. He said with a blink of his eye I was 18 and he was moving me into my dorm room at college, and within another blink here I was 22 and getting married. He confided in me that he felt he had missed so much, and that 1 of the hardest things for him, before walking me down the aisle that day was the day he had to get into the car, and leave me in my dorm in Delaware.
That conversation was priceless to me.

My parents passed away very very young- My Mom was 55 when she died, Dad was 58. One of the things they wanted most in their life was Grandchildren. My Mom got 11 months with Nick, when she passed away. Hunter was just 2 when Dad passed away. They missed a lot of fun and joyous moments with those two boys.

What does all this have to do with opening your business during the holidays – well it’s the emotional sentimental side of life we tend to forgot.

From a business point of view here are a few things to consider: What is it costing you to be open? Let’s think about that- you are probably a salaried employee and you might have 1 or 2 others that are as well. Yes the building does draw a certain amount of power to operate you HVAC system, and any signage lights, but it’s not nearly the draw of having all your equipment on. Nor having to pay your full staff.
A few years ago we opened the Friday after Thanksgiving- while we had 15 or so patients on the schedule prior to that day- we saw only 2. Why because it was the Friday after thanksgiving and everyone was busy doing other things and visiting their Chiropractor was NOT a priority. What did it cost us to be open that day in comparison to what we actually made? I can assure you it cost a lot more then we made.
Of course this is from a purely financial outlook.
What does the time away from your family cost you? What could you be doing that would someday be priceless to your children? I know your kids all want the latest and greatest- they want the WII, x-box, Beatles rock band, etc. I can assure you that when they get to be my age- they will not remember the expensive gift they got as much as they will remember the “priceless” times you spent together.
For the life of me I cannot remember what I got for Christmas the year I turned 14- what I do remember about that Christmas is that both my parents were off work, and we spend a day touring the Smithison museums and visited the National tree all light up that night. (I am 45, so 31 yrs later I still remember that day).
No one I know is independently wealthy, we all have to work. But a day or two or even a week away from your business will NOT KILL it. But those moments with your family you have the potential to create could mean a lifetime of PRICELESS memories for all of you.

So Close or stay open- your call. But weigh in all your options first.

My Dad loved this time of the year; I am more like my Mom who disliked it greatly. I’d give almost anything to be able to hear her yell “Billiam” 1 more time, or spend a whole night babysitting a pot of Crab soup with him. Life is precious- NONE of us are promised a tomorrow. Would closing your office for 3 days really put you on the edge of financial ruin? What would 3 days with your spouse, kids or aging parents mean to them? All these consideration should go into the decision making process.

As for me- well I think I am around the 180lb mark. Feeling good other than some issues with my right knee. I have an MRI scheduled for Tuesday and if as my boss suspects I have torn the PCL muscle I will need to see an orthopedist when I return from Jamaica. PCL’s usually need to be repaired with surgery, if that is the case then so be it. Hardest part will be keeping myself from being so damned bored I am climbing the walls, during the recovery. It will be a minor setback, but I tore it moving around and living life, and that’s just what happens at times.

Christmas is a crazy time of the year, but let’s try to remember that it’s about love, and family and time spent with those we love most.

Merry Christmas all. God bless.

This journey is awesome……