Hey, I Could Get Used to This
By: Rick Ropelewski
I am at the point in life where my tie collection is complete. Also, with our kids 21 and 19 we’re now at the stage in life where getting quality time with them is difficult. So, for the holidays I asked the kids for an activity or outing with them versus another tie, and they both came up with great ideas.
Our daughter Molly will start her senior year in college this fall, and she has a job in New York City for the summer. She knew about the opportunity before the holidays, so my gift was a visit to NYC for a sightseeing weekend. She made dinner reservations, got tickets to a play and planned some walks through the city. It was a nice treat to have her take care of the logistics and a little surreal having conversations about her projects and workplace dynamics! A long way from asking whether she wanted rainbow sprinkles on her ice cream! One or two of the outings may have been charged to my credit card but it was very fun weekend.
Pete and I both enjoy golfing, but for me it is more about chasing a tiny white object through the woods. Pete got us tickets to the U.S. Open golf tournament which took place in Boston this year. I have attended professional baseball, football, and hockey games, but this was a unique and amazing experience. At one point we were walking between holes when an errant shot landed about five feet from us. Given where the ball landed the golfer had an incredibly difficult next shot, and we got to hear the entire conversation between the golfer and his caddy. Then of course we watch him land the shot about five feet from the hole. Watching the next round on television after having walked the course the day before gave me a much different perspective and appreciation for the golfers’ skills. And while this was a lot of fun, the highlight was spending the day on the golf course with Pete.
So while my tie collection may fall out of fashion, I’m already looking forward to what activities the kids come up with next year.
The author of this article is Rick Ropelewski, Wealth Manager at U.S. Wealth Management.
1-05311193