My Mom - rest her soul - was a wonderful "Nanu" to my children.  I honestly believe she loved her grandkids more than her kids, and I am okay with that!  Every holiday, she would send the grandkids a card with a two dollar bill.  I wouldn't let my boys spend those two dollar bills, I kept them in an envelope in my fire proof safe.  Through financial hard times, divorce and relocating - I never dipped into their two dollar bills.  Last Christmas, I gave the boys - now adult men - their two dollar bills - they each had over $300 worth.  They were so excited that I had kept them from spending them on candy or some other fleeting desire.

Back in 2021, I was at a fork in the road, so to speak, in my life.  I had worked consistently through the pandemic - in the office.  My children were out of the house, and I was now an empty nester with no real hobbies of my own.  For the past twenty years, I was hauling kids, cheering them on and my free time revolved around them.  I became a workaholic and pushed myself in the corporate world and made it to the top.  However, I was gaining weight and not finding joy at the end of the day.  I decided to set a goal for myself to try something new.