For the past couple of days, I’ve been meaning to post another blog. It’s amazing how time gets away from us, though. Last night I taught a night class in Lincoln, and didn’t get back until after Sonja had gone to bed. I’ve been thinking of teaching another one, at a different school than the university where I currently teach, but I’m unsure. Nights like last night, though the class was great and the drive rather easy, do give cause for pause and reflection. Last night, I was reflecting on a few nights earlier, one of those nights when Sonja and I put the kids to bed together and then sat down in the living room and shared a bottle of wine. Those are my favorite nights. I don’t know how many of them I want to give up.

I’ve gotten rather philosophical about time lately. It is our only truly finite resource. It is the most valuable currency in all of life. If given the opportunity to purchase a year of life, I’d mortgage my house to buy one. Time is precious. So why then, unthinkingly, do I often sell time away so cheaply? More than anything, I think that having children has caused me to consider these things more deeply. Our stockpile of “life currency” is rapidly depleting, nonrenewable, and impossible to quantify. Scary thought.

Time spent with family, especially my wife on the sofa at the end of a day, is in my mind that precious currency well spent. When Sonja and I had one such night on the couch earlier in the week, we shared the 14 Hands Winery Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2015. The reserve wines from 14 Hands have all, in my experience, been very bold, and very dark in color, and that trend carried over into this one. What struck me as ironic about the Cabernet, however, is that I found it to be more smooth than either the Merlot or Rhone-style blend I tried. The Merlot wasn’t especially smooth, the G-S-M a bit more so, but this Cab was silky after a quick decant, and easy to appreciate. Flavorful, the profile is dominated by deep purple and black fruits, including blackberries, currants, and some hints at dark tea leaves or even coffee toward the finish. Over time, it opened up and became more expressive, yet maintained its broad-shouldered, brooding nature throughout. I’ve always enjoyed wine from Horse Heaven Hills in Washington State, and I’ve really become a fan of the reserves from 14 Hands. As QPR goes, they’re very hard to beat.

I remain paused on the matter of taking on more work. As the days begin to lengthen and the temperatures continue to rise, I find I miss those nights that I cannot take the kids for a walk or read to them from our chair by the window. How much money is that time worth? Is it possible that its priceless? The balancing act of time and life is a tricky one indeed. I’m open to suggestions about how to do it well. Until I receive them (perhaps from you?) I’ll keep on moving forward, doing my best to figure out how to spend life’s most valuable currency.

Cheers,