I’m sitting here in the departure lounge at Logan Airport. Of course my flight is delayed as someone saw a few snowflakes this afternoon.

The delay gives me time to think and that occasionally leads to something that could pass as reflective!

I’m off to London, my favorite city in the world (as I have told all of you a million times) to see some friends for a quick boondoggle. As an aside, I am convinced that this bout of eating and drinking will give me the inspiration to finish my remaining papers for the semester at HKS. Ironically, it is precisely two years and one day since I retired from my job as regional head of a large hedge fund based in London.

It was an exciting life in London, great food, great travel, loads of history and culture, great friends. Leaving was one of the hardest things we have ever done. Of course the job was hard work and hard play. In reality London was the closing act of a role that lasted for 20 years. That role involved lots of time, lots of thought, lots of talking, and not a small amount of ego.

For those of you who haven’t been there, finance is as Malcolm Gladwell says, a game of confidence. Being good and being effective means that you always need to “be the guy”. Of course that’s not always free. My family really didn’t care if I was the guy. They just wanted me to be the dad, the husband. Many times after 14 hours of work it was difficult to change gears. It’s not that my family life wasn’t good. Its just that I always knew that it could be better.

Retirement meant relocation and we chose to come to Boston. To be honest, I was reticent at best. I knew no one here and I wasn’t going to work, at least right away. How would I connect with people. Having the 53 year old dad running the PTO meetings could seem a bit odd.

To make a long story short, it’s worked out just fine. We have in a reasonably short period of time started to grow roots as a family in a neighborhood. Expats don’t grow roots, I think they grow lots of branches.

My daughters are happy. They have a great school, great friends, and lots of activities that they enjoy. Kim has good friends, is involved with the school, and is swimming again. As for me well I’m one of the oldest students in the world although I’m trying really hard to “act” like a grad student. School is fun and the people are great. I have found some good restaurants, some good friends, and a couple of causes to keep my interest.  I have translated my hatred of the Yankees to a like/love of the Sox.

Most importantly, I have found that the thing I love most is being a husband and father. before starting school, I had 18 months at home. I was worried about what I would do. The time went so fast. Now that I’m in school theres a bit of balancing but nothing like before.

My kids are amazing, smart, funny, caring. Now we have two cats. The girls care for them as if they were their children. Amazing to watch. And the best part is that I’m not missing it.

Kim and I had a transition period. Having me at home was at times (most) a pain in her ass!!! I tend to meddle in stuff that I’m clueless about. But being with her every day is great. It really doesn’t matter what were doing as long as its together. I look forward to whats next for US.

I guess that the point of all of this is that where my family is, is my home and now that home is in Boston. I have no idea what our future holds other than that we will live it together. And so I know that it will all work out.

In the past I have always thought that London would at some point be my home again. Tonight as I sit here, I know that I’m just going for a short visit and then I’ll be coming HOME. Why do I know that? Because I haven’t left and I miss my girls already!!

So thanks for listening. For those of you that I won’t see soon have a great holiday, whatever you do…..