They Grow Up Fast - Don't Miss It Stuck in the Office

Well, it happened. Twenty-five years into my career and I just took the longest vacation I've ever been on. I joined my son on his senior class trip to Europe for 10 days. But before I delve deeper, like you, I find myself pondering the origins of senior class trips, especially to destinations as big as Europe. Growing up in Phoenix, if a senior class trip was a thing for me, which it was not, it would have likely entailed a visit to somewhere like Tucson. Nonetheless, trips like these have become increasingly common in recent years, and so, off to Europe we went.

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Before I get too far into my story, I should note that as my son and I were planning the trip, my wife persuaded me to extend my stay in Europe for another 10 days to celebrate Holy Week and Easter in Rome. Initially I was adamant that I couldn’t take the time off but was grateful for her persistence. With a three-week European adventure in front of us, we embarked on an epic, once in a lifetime pilgrimage/vacation.

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Over 20 days, we visited Rome, Assisi, Orvieto (home of the world's greatest sandwich), Zurich, Florence, Paris, and Venice. Then, there was the unexpected overnight stay in Germany—a result of a live tutorial on using Airbnb with my son. Needless to say, we had an amazing trip.

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To say we had the time of our lives would be an understatement. As devout Catholic, we visited numerous churches (about 40), saw countless saints, and attended Mass in some of the most beautiful and historic churches in the world. As a devout foodie, we indulged in gelato multiple times a day, enjoyed croissants, and savored our fair share of Italian cuisine including that previously mentioned sandwich in Orvieto. A note to Eric Stark , Doug Tolley and Roger Blohm , this sandwich is better than Raul’s; turkey, peach and brie.

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More important than the trip itself, my son and I fortified our bond. My son, who is 17 and will turn 18 in May, is a high school senior about to embark on his college journey at Franciscan University of Steubenville in just a few months. I think there is a natural tendency for children to have a “go-to” parent and with my oldest son, he has always been a bit closer in relationship to my bride. I am not going to say that the trip changed that but to say it deepened my relationship with my son is a gross understatement to what we shared over three weeks together.

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Together, we ate, drank and strengthened our already strong relationship while making once in a lifetime memories. By now you might be asking yourself why you are reading this on LinkedIn. Where does this fit into the business world? Well, over the years, I have learned a lot about life. One lesson I've learned over the years is that tomorrow is not guaranteed. Prioritizing today is essential, and when faced with a choice, spending time with family trumps a day at work. In this case, a trip with my 17-year-old son trumps 20 days back home. Work can indeed wait. It will be there when we return.

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So, what did I learn while I was away? I discovered that work would wait. The bills could wait for me as well. Facetime proved to be an excellent way to stay connected with loved ones and foregoing the industry's largest trade show for a once-in-a-lifetime trip with my son was unquestionably worth it. Despite being sad to have missed Channel Partners big show, I realize it will be there next year.

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Before I go, I need to acknowledge a few people. I could have never done this without an amazing wife. While I know she thought it was the right decision for us as a family, she made some significant sacrifices to make this happen. Next, I need to thank my amazing business partner and one of my closest friends, Kameron Olsen . Having a business partner that I trust implicitly is one thing. Having a business partner that was willing to put in the extra hours so I could focus on my family for a few weeks was game changing. Moreover, Kameron was the one pushing me the hardest to take this trip and focus on my family.

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I will close with this. This trip was a calculated risk. Work life is full right now and walking away for three weeks was not easy. In the end, work hard. Family harder.

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