This year has felt like one long plot twist. I was laid off, picked up side jobs, and somehow wrote books through the chaos. And because my bold ideas seem to arrive at the least practical moments, I also told my wife to leave her stable job and finally chase her dream of becoming an elementary school teacher. Yes, while I was unemployed. I knew how wild that sounded, but it was still the right call. She earned her master’s degree with a 4.0 GPA and pushed through student teaching with steady patience. That has been one of the bright spots in a difficult season. Every year her best friend and I go on a holiday shopping trip. It is our tradition. We visit a few stores, hunt for the right gifts, and finish with Blanco Tacos for dinner. It is an odd little ritual, but it works. This year my definition of extravagant stretched farther than usual, and the gift ended up firmly in the expensive category. Her best friend did nothing to protect my budget. We visited Dior, Louis Vuitton, and Nordstrom. I drifted toward the loud pieces my wife usually likes, the ones that practically call attention to themselves. Her best friend kept pulling me away. Then she pointed at the sweater I was wearing, a very nice Armani with no visible branding, and said to the salesperson, “See. He does not need to shout. Why would she.” After that she delivered the line that stuck with me. “You already proved you can afford it. Now I want her to enjoy it.” Moments later she realized I own cashmere and alpaca while my wife owns neither. She turned to me with a look that said only one word, and she said it out loud. “Robert.” No affection. No softness. Just pure judgment aimed directly at my soul. At Louis Vuitton we found the right piece. A soft, understated cashmere sweater with a small tag at the back of the neck. Nothing loud. Nothing trying to show off. Just quiet quality. The salesperson added, “Pieces like this never get counterfeited. There is nothing loud to copy. The value is in how it is made.”

For my Australian Brothers (and any Sisters) on this page, where do you live? I would love to get together with any of you and have a dinner, or see a show. I am in the ACT (just outside of it actually) but would love to make a weekend, or a couple of days over the Christmas break, where we can catchup. I know we are in a totally different Time Zone compared to the US brothers and sisters and that makes the virtual catch ups harder to do, and the in person meet and greets are a long trip. So Please select your choice below for the state, and then let me know if this is something you are keen on.