I was the student. I paid for college on my own with 4 years of work-study and other jobs and 10 years of student loans, which I proudly repaid. I didn’t have time for extra-curricular activities.
He is now the student, a junior, a writer and is passionate about sports. He is my son, attending my alma mater, the University of Michigan, 25+ years later.
Money can’t buy happiness
My business is now the business of money. Investing. Financial planning. Relationships. Helping people fulfill their dreams and wishes with solid financial guidance.
When he was young, starting at birth, his mother and I saved $200 a month for his college education. Grandparents and great-grandparents also contributed to his college education fund. He does not have to “work” to pay for college, as we have provided that for him.
Since he didn’t have to work to pay for college, he was able to join the Michigan Daily sports staff as a freshman. He covered wrestling and baseball. He took advantage of the opportunity and made the most of it. He drove to Philadelphia and captured the pain and thrill of a Michigan wrestler overcoming an injury to win a national championship.
“Wealth is more about discretionary time than money” from Thrive, by Alan Weiss
While he does not yet have financial wealth, he has made the time to continue reporting, writing and being named as one of the sports editors. His skills enabled him to cover the Michigan basketball team as a sophomore. He traveled to Hawaii for a 2011 tournament, with financial assistance from the Daily and his family. He met Coach K. He created memories. He covered their excitement as they exceeded expectations in 2012, only to be eliminated early in the NCAA tournament.
While not getting the glory of Trey Burke or Tim Hardaway, he traveled by car to games in New York, Minneapolis, Bloomington, IN and other Big Ten locations to report for the Daily. He attended every home game, to “work,” as he says. He is not part of the “Maize Rage,” as he surely would be. He sits in the press area. He would not head out to the bars immediately after a Saturday night victory, as he would be writing for hours after the game ended.
He wants to write. He wants to cover this team. Because he does not have the financial pressures that I had, he is able to allocate the time to write for the Daily. He used this “wealth” and the related discretionary time to create memories, for him, and for others. While money can’t buy happiness, money can buy experiences. Money can create memories that will last a lifetime. Memories which make parents, grandparents and teachers proud.
“One Night and One More Time”
On his March break, my son conducted interviews and transcribed them for hours. He wrote a fitting, lengthy tribute of the senior captain of the basketball team, Josh Bartelstein, a player who was not in the limelight but spent hours dedicated to Michigan and provided leadership to a young team. They both care, are diligent and determined.
I have questioned the time he spent writing and editing for the Daily. The many long road trips. Was it taking too much time away from his academics? But deep down, I knew it would be worth it.
Last Wednesday, he traveled to Dallas to cover the Michigan basketball team, as they began the Sweet Sixteen weekend. While I was watching with friends in Michigan Friday night as the game progressed, I knew he had his game story written, to tell of defeat and a valiant effort against a stronger Kansas team.
Then, within minutes, it all changed. Michigan made a heroic comeback, grasping victory from an assured defeat. And it brought out the best in my son the writer. He rewrote his game story. He wrote a separate column until 5 am the next morning, capturing the emotions of players and non-players alike. He would not stop until it met his very high standards. He wrote One Night and One More Time I could not have been prouder.
One shining moment
On April 1, his game coverage of Sunday's Elite Eight victory by Michigan over Florida is the only article on the front page of the Michigan Daily, along with pictures of a triumphant team with their trophy. As a former Daily editor tweeted to him over the weekend, his words documented Michigan history.
I’m not sure whether Michigan will win in the Final Four this weekend. I'm not sure what my son will write, but I know he will capture the story and the emotions. He will have a memorable experience. He has earned it.
I’m not sure where his future and career will lead. Through diligence and hard work, he has created great opportunities for himself. He has taken the “wealth” of discretionary time, and put it to good use. Those are lessons that I hope will always remain with him.
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