7 August 2006

Weighing up All the costs


There's only one way to go.
Over the last five weeks I have been spending a lot of nights away from home. The decision to stay in a hotel near to my clients makes a lot of sense. The arguments for this choice include:
- Save $30 a day in fuel
- Save 300km and 4 hours a day in travelling
- reduced fatigue and therefore generally safer
- the hotel cost would be easily covered by doing extra client work at night.
So all the financial reasons were winners.
But. But. And I say again, But. (Readers of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang by Ian Fleming will understand that phrase)
The non financial reasons have proven more compelling. Although I am able to chat with Lana and the children remotely, it's not the same as being in the physical presence of my family.
It is not just children that spell Love T-I-M-E. At the end of the day love is the desire to spend time with the object of our love. It's all part of that Know - Love - Serve thing.
So I am spending this week at home (at nights). The travel time is utilised listening to audio books - currently Pickwick Papers by Charles Dickens. I may spend future weeks away, but not for such a long stretch.
As I tell Lana, I travel 1,000 miles for one of her smiles, and that is about how many extra miles I will travel this week!

A night at the hotel - $100
A meal away from home - $20
Being with the family - Priceless!


4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Amen!

I agree with the safety issue though.

DavidofOz said...

I am varying it more now. Only a couple of nights away rather than whole weeks. It means some long travel days, but not long weeks away from home.
And Fuel has just gone to $1.45 a litre ($4.22 US/gallon) so the costs are even more on the staying away cost side.

Michael Hardt said...

I finally found a job (!), but until we move in September, I'm driving an hour or longer each way. I find that the lectures from The Teaching Company really help. We own a few sets, but our library here carries some as well.

DavidofOz said...

I listen to quite a variety of audio, much of it listed at the side "Free Audio/MP3s". Sometimes when I get to my destination I have to wait a while until the xciting or interesting bit is at a stage at which I can stop!