Dad Changed My Outlook on Life

A daughter in need. A dad with regrets. A 15,000-mile road-trip. From a life in disarray, to living a new way.

That is where we left off yesterday…

Barbara Elaine Singer takes it from there:

“Our forefathers risked their lives to find a place to live, work and be free of persecution. How did that turn into:

On the road…

• the big house
• 2 new cars
• commuting/carpool/traffic
• consumerism
• living in debt
• working morning to night
• enough is never enough
• do/be/have more
• stay thin/young/current
• upgrade/upgrade/upgrade
• 24-hour junk news & TV
• must have the latest/greatest
• stomach acid induced stress

I thought that’s what life was about…only to discover at the end of the day that:

• My house was worth less than I owed (if I managed to keep it at all).
• My 401K was worth less than last year (I was lucky enough to have one).
• My health was declining because of my lifestyle.
• My daughter’s $200,000 education bought a $34,000 job (if she found one).
• I sacrificed five days to enjoy two.
• I worked 50 weeks to take off two.
• I would work 65 years to enjoy a few (if I made it that far).

Dad changed the way I looked at my life. My 70-year-old father shared his “look-back” regrets during our 15,000 mile road trip. He showed me that it was OK to do it my way. I simply had to know what that was…or have the guts to get out and find out.

Dad convinced me not to “buy into” what everyone else thought was right. My goals should be mine. My life was about me. It was OK to be selfish about that.

The question was did I have the courage to “go for it?” Did I have the guts to try? I did. I took the leap.

I sold what I had. I crewed 100 days on a boat. I worked and scrounged, and traveled the globe. I ended up in Florence, a place that I liked. Visiting a winery, I fell for Giuseppe, the son of the owner.

I now live a simple and absolutely wonderful life with him and his family. I could never have imagined this just a few years earlier.

We produce only the best wines, and showcase them to the finest restaurants in the world.

Giuseppe and I travel the globe with our personal chef, previewing our wines at dinners for remarkable folks at their homes. (That’s how we met Greg and fell in love with The Savvy Dad mission.)

I am not suggesting that you do what I did. That was for me. It might not be you (but it could be). Just make sure, at the end of the day, that the path you choose is the right way for you.”