JASON

I ran into my good friend Jason recently. He is a young man who works with my son in the automotive event business. As is typical of those in the business he is at the beck and call of customers needing his expertise at venues all over the country. Living in San Antonio, Texas he must be prepared, often with little notice, to jump on a plane for God knows where for a few days or weeks at a time. Jason is one of the very best at what he does so he is called upon often. Being happily married and with a baby on the way he decided that now was the time to act on a life long dream.

Being the entrepreneurial sort he had set aside money for years in the hopes of someday owning his own business. Someday was here. He gave up his life on the road and he and his wife dove head first into the retail business. Their store, on the outskirts of San Antonio, targeted sports goods and related sportswear for the younger generation. Knowing they were bucking the odds by entering the market when things were tough they reasoned that by hard work and long hours they could make it work.

In an effort to keep costs down they were both putting in 80 hour weeks. Days off were not in the cards. Jason would take an occasional auto event job to help the cause, often catching a red eye home so he could work all day in the store. Recently their beautiful, healthy daughter arrived. Decisions needed to be made. They decided to close their store. There would be some financial consequences but they were kept to a minimum. They held a huge sale, during which many loyal customers expressed to Jason their sadness at seeing the store close. Since then, Jason and his wife have their life back. They have a new appreciation for every moment they are a part of their child’s formative years. They learned so much about so many things and have no regrets. Mostly they learned how much they valued their precious time together.

I have great admiration for people like Jason. They dream big and are not afraid to take risks. Maybe a stumble or two early on, but in the long run, not to be denied. While most people are content with a 9 to 5 routine it takes real courage to roll the dice like Jason did. People like him exemplify everything that is good about our country.