Our home is beautiful. The waterfront plot is at least an acre in size. The backyard is terraced and there is a fenced area for the kids. The property is beautifully landscaped and requires very little maintenance. The three-car garage adjoins the house at an angle and the circle drive is always a blessing. We have some great trees that tie the composition of the property together nicely. Spanish tile covers the entire roof. The many large, energy-efficient windows flood the house with great natural light. Earth tones surround you as you pass through the heavy wooden doors over the threshold. A mix of ceramic tile, hardwood and world-inspired area rugs account for the floors throughout the house. This particular style of flooring also keeps dust low and cleaning easy. Everything about the house is low to no maintenance. The lack of yard in the front, the plant choices for landscaping, the roof, the floors; form and function meet beautifully. The climate here is temperate; not too hot, not too cold, while still allowing for mild changes in seasons. The skies are usually steady and clear. We live on the water, on an inlet (or cove?) and we often comment on how wonderful the breeze is as it blows up off the calm water below.

The sun is low and the clear sky is colored in orange, pinks and a deepening blue. As I return home, I pull my Jeep into our three-car garage and admire our home. Spanish-tile roof, adobe shell, beautifully landscaped and lots of windows.

I enter the house and am greeted by my four beautiful children, my smiling wife, the nanny and the wonderful aroma of dinner cooking. Within 10-15 minutes, we are all sitting down to eat and we compliment the nanny on yet another amazing meal. While our home has a formal dining room, we tend to save that for larger parties, choosing instead to eat at the table alongside the kitchen. Blue ceramic tile on the walls, thick, rough-hewn wooden beams lining the ceiling, granite countertops and warm colors adorn the kitchen. To the right of the range, a great set of pots and pans hang from a copper rack overhead.

The house has an immediate effect on people, as most comment on the warmth and love they feel as they cross over the threshold. They marvel at how good they feel here and Grace and I always enjoy complete harmony with our guests. We have people over for dinner all the time and we have made some really great life-long friendships since moving here.

Over dinner, our conversation is harmonious and nurturing. Everyone at the table feels heard, loved and appreciated. We always enjoy listening to and supporting each other and we truly appreciate one another, differences and all. The kids are excited about school and life and Grace is excited about her projects and volunteer work. The nanny sits with us and is considered a member of our family. We are all filled with a sense of completeness when we sit together over our meals (it is rare when we don’t share both breakfast and dinner together as a family.)

When we finish eating, the kids ask to be excused and take their plates to the sink. As the nanny begins to clean up, my wife and I sit and finish our conversation, then we go play with our kids, engaging them in their activities. The nanny finishes in the kitchen and says good night as she leaves for home. The kids run up to hug her and she returns their love with equally big hugs. She adores our whole family and we adore her. This person will be our nanny, then our housekeeper for a very long time.

Once the nanny leaves, we continue playing with the kids until it is time for books and bedtime. They go down peacefully and in complete comfort and security. They know at their cores, they are loved and safe, always.

My wife and I reconvene in the kitchen, talk a little, then kiss. From there, things heat up. Our relationship is mutually full of tenderness, warmth, compassion, listening, nurturing, respect, admiration, understanding, passion and love.

A mentor challenged me to write down my perfect day. For this first attempt, I could only make it to 9 a.m., filling a single 8 x 11 piece of notebook paper. When “multibillion” came out, I noted a feeling of anxiety and a sense of “Where did that come from?”, which of course meant I had some work to do in clearing away the deservability issues this feeling indicated.

p.p.s.- Prior to placing these italicized notes into this post, the word count– according to WordPress–was 303. Sure it’s XYX, but what does it mean!?  ;o]

p.s.- As I pulled out the notebook this was originally written into, a business card fell out of it onto the table. The business card is for a local business professional who specializes in services for speakers and trainers. I’ll make a note of this and simply stay open.

(originally written 12/28/09)

I wake up in the morning and I brew a fresh cup of my favorite hot tea, walk out onto our deck and enjoy the warm morning breeze. I listen to the rustling of the palm fronts and soft whisper of the water. The air is clean and the tea is warm in my hands, the perfect drink. I sit on my chair on our bedroom balcony and quietly admire the changing colors of the sunrise. My wife and kids are still asleep and the nanny will be here soon to get the kids started on their day. Crow and Amaretto join me on the balcony and sniff the ocean air.

By 7:30, I am dressed in loose cotton island-wear, khaki and white, and am in the comfort of my home office. My home office is a place of many windows, white and sand-colored decor, and a view looking out over the water. I am relaxed and have just enjoyed a marvelous breakfast with my family, cooked by our wonderful nanny. My wife and one of the kids are going off to school and I am preparing to make a phone call to check in with the office. I will be in by about 9 a.m., and am now listening to the nightly reports from my directors from their offices around the world. I log into my dashboard application and see how my offices are doing, as well as key metrics for the corporation as a whole. We are a multibillion company that is renowned for doing a lot of great, humanitarian work in the world.

I call my assistant to confirm the photo shoot with Forbes is still on and she says it is. She and I have worked together for a while now and she is “on fire” for the business.