Are we there yet?

“Are we there yet?”

“No.”

“Are we there yet?”

“No.”

“Are we…”

“NO!”

This economy reminded him of those long, tedious road trips he had taken as a kid.  Except then, there was nothing he could do about it. He was a passenger (and prisoner)  in the back of his parent’s 1974 Pontiac station wagon (he wore no seat belts, of course) on those loooong trips to grandma’s house.  Luckily his dad was a better driver than the current leaders in government and on Wall Street were.  But at least on this trip, he didn’t have to sit there and take it.

Are we there yet?

No, he thought, we’re not.  But that didn’t mean he wasn’t control of his own destiny.  He took another sip of his coffee and took inventory of all he had. His skills. His experience.  His dreams.

He also looked at his sleeping wife.  She and their kids were his main responsibility.  And his greatest assets. Then he realized it, he was now driving the car.  It was his (and his wife’s) job to make sure that his kids arrived safely.  He held his coffee cup to his lips and thought about that for a few minutes. They deserved his best.  A great sailor moves forward no matter the wind.  It was time to adjust the sails, rechart the course and keep moving forward.  He and his wife had some planning to do in the morning. It all came down to controlling what he could and adjusting accordingly to what he couldn’t.  He put the cup down and smiled.

“Are we there yet?”

“No, but we’re going to have a great time getting there.  Enjoy the ride.”