Rucking. Running. Reading. Packing. Watching Michael with my brother and daughter. Reflecting.
The unofficial kickoff to summer felt a little different this year. Packing boxes to move has a funny way of doing that. Pictures surfaced. Middle school. High school. College. Thirty-five years ago, which somehow feels like yesterday and forever ago at exactly the same time.
The good news is old friends still exist. A few old pictures sent around text chains and suddenly everyone is seventeen again. Laughing. Remembering. Appreciating that somehow we all survived questionable haircuts, growing up, careers, kids, losses, wins, and life generally happening. There was happiness in it. A lot of happiness.
But there was also another feeling.
At 48, perhaps for the first time, it felt undeniably real that while hopefully there is still plenty of road ahead...there may not be quite as much road ahead as behind.
For a minute, that thought brought sadness. Not overwhelming sadness. Just perspective. Then almost immediately gratitude. Appreciation for the life I have been fortunate enough to live.
Family. Friends. Health. Experiences. Failures. Successes. The realization that younger versions of ourselves would probably think current versions of ourselves did alright.
Memorial Day was not lost on me as those thoughts rolled around.
We sat soggy in the rain on the kickoff to summer while reflecting on those who came before us and sacrificed pieces of their own road so we could have ours. Some sacrificed years. Some sacrificed opportunities. Some sacrificed everything.
Perspective matters. The interesting thing was where gratitude led. Urgency. Not panic. Not fear. Urgency. An urgency to make sure thirty five years from now I can look back on the next chapter the same way I look back on the last one.
More adventures. More hikes. More family dinners. More hard conversations. More growth. More showing up. More life packed into life. The road may be shortening. But as Doc Brown said in Back to the Future:
"Roads? Where we're going we don't need roads."
At 8 that line meant one thing. At 48 it means something different. (just had to double check that movie was really over 40 years old – shout out to childhood friend Greg F and Tim H – that was a great movie night back then!).
From Michael J Fox to Michael Jackson
Watching “Michael” this weekend with my brother and daughter layered onto those feelings. The music immediately transported me back. Family parties. Dad. Uncle Bill. Cousins. Michael Jackson playing somewhere in the background.
Then years later introducing Michael to my daughters. Watching his videos together. Music becoming one of those bridges between generations. The movie also highlighted something harder. Talent matters. Discipline matters. Determination matters.
Michael dreamed extraordinary dreams and through talent, discipline, and determination brought many of them to life. He also understood his platform. He wanted to impact the world positively. But greatness does not eliminate pain. Sometimes it magnifies it. For those in pain, get help. Real help.
Oddly enough, markets felt connected to those same thoughts this week.
Because markets, much like life, spend a lot of time reminding us how little we actually control.
The uncontrollables continue dominating headlines. Iran peace deal. No peace deal. Oil up. Rates up. Stocks up.
Markets continue reminding investors they do not always react the way logic says they should. Things that do not always feel like they belong together often happen together.
Perhaps markets are already pricing outcomes before they arrive. Perhaps relief from conflict eventually comes and markets barely move because markets moved first.
Buy the rumor. Sell the news. Maybe.
Or perhaps fundamentals remain strong and perhaps Goldilocks still has a hold on things. Markets are forward looking. Life sometimes requires looking backward.
In markets and life, the trick perhaps is balancing both.
Appreciating where we have been. Building thoughtfully toward where we are going.
Controlling what we can control. Appreciating sacrifice. Staying grateful. Staying invested.
Staying invested not only in markets, but in relationships, health, experiences, and the people walking beside us on the journey. Building lives and financial plans durable enough to Endure storms.
And packing enough life into whatever road remains ahead. Because while there may not be quite as much road ahead as behind...there is still road ahead…And more than roads.
And maybe, just maybe, the best stretches of road have not happened yet.
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Dane Czaplicki is CEO of Members’ Wealth, a boutique wealth management firm that offers a comprehensive approach to serving individuals, families, business owners, and institutions. The firm’s goal is to preserve and grow its clients’ wealth to endure over time, while thoughtfully evolving its strategy to suit an ever-changing world. With over 20 years of wealth management experience, Dane and the Members' Wealth team thrive on bringing clarity and confidence to clients' unique situations. He believes everyone needs sound financial advice from someone whose interests are aligned with theirs, and is determined to put service before all else.
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