Ben Wilson, LPC

Ed and Jill, years ago, decided they would not do any business on weekends, but devote their time to the children. When I ask Ed to play golf with me on a Sunday, he refuses, no regret, his family time is sacred. On weekends, I can go by their house any time and know they will be there. I stopped by on a Sunday last February when I was back in Santa Fe, and they fed me, and gave me tea, and I sat with their son Sam in his room and he showed me his school film projects. I could thoroghly enjoy those hours in the sanctuary of their welcoming home, know there would be no interruptions, nothing else would be more important than this. 

I was discussing the dilemma of overwork with my friend George, who is president of a large university. In the many years I have known him, I have always found George to be essentially balanced and equanimous, even under the weight of great responsibility. I asked him how he managed to balance his tremendous workload with time for family. "I work long hours--but I also stop," he said. "I have never let work crowd our family time. And I am convinced almost nothing is worth losing sleep over."

At our house, the evenings are family time. We play cards, games, checkers, catch. After dinner and before bed no phones are answered, no business done. 

~Wayne Muller