Man-Up

I miss my family terribly. Being away from them is, by far, the hardest thing I have to do. I am learning that most men who aspire to make a lot of money are often away from their loved ones for extended periods of time. Whether it is travelling or staying at the office well past the bedtimes of their children, family men must work. And work a lot.

I am conflicted. I want to provide for my family because that is the role that I have accepted but I need their embrace. I do not foresee myself ever being a 9-5 dude who can lay with his wife and kiss his son every night. I see myself as an entrepreneur, going where the money is and sending it back home to keep groceries – Whole Foods – in the refrigerator. Does this make me wrong? Am I more or less of a man? I know the answer, at least for me, but I cannot help but to be sad right now.

Yes, I have a job. Yes, because I own my own business and create my own schedule, I can spend two to three weeks at a time at home, which most 9-5 men could never do. Yes, I am blessed to have a vision and the direction for my professional aspirations.

And yet, I get lonely. And I want to sleep next to my warm wife. And I want to have my kid hug me around the neck first thing in the morning. Everyday. And yes, I will do what I must do and not what I want to do. I am a family man and I must provide.