What Do You Do?

I’m in Investments, you? I actually said this recently as I was meeting someone new. There is pressure to have a title ready when asked what you with your time; a concise declaration of who you and what matters to you without too much information attached. My education isn’t in the area of business, and I am horrible with numbers and data, so the irony is rich here, but honestly my passion is in the area of investing.

I invest my energy into my guy by caring about his work, asking questions and even making suggestions when requested. I want him to be successful and fulfilled and part of my job is to help make that happen, by making life at home easier for him. Recently we had to make some major changes in our diet to improve his numbers, and I eagerly took on the challenge. This is my long-term investment that gives me huge returns.

For years I invested in our children by being home with them full-time, these days they are teenagers who still need someone on their sides, in their courts day in and day out. My main responsibility at this point is to listen to what is said and especially to what is not while cooking dinner and encouraging homework. I have the privilege of driving a couple of them daily still, and I’m watching those minutes dwindling down to seconds. Motherhood is the job I am quickly working myself out of, with excitement and dread. This is my riskiest investment because there are no guarantees, but the joys of the rises and falls has made it so worthwhile.

Over the years I have looked for people and places to invest my time and energy; I worked with a dear friend for years who had a start-up company and needed a partner in crime. I invested hundreds of hours into ministry at a church on a volunteer basis.  I offered someone with a message I strongly believed in, one day a week to use me however she could to further her work. I went to graduate school to prove to myself that I could, even after years of being at home with kids. Lately, I am working as a server in a restaurant without fully understanding why, but it feels clear to me that I am where I need to be at this time. These have been my short-term investments with smaller gains that have huge potential.

The truth is we are all investors; we give our limited resource of time to whatever is important to us. I think regret comes when we realize this too late, and believe we have not invested wisely. I want to be found as using this resource to the fullest, no matter the return.