Dear Family,

Earlier this week, I overheard a conversation between a new mother and her friend, discussing returning back to work.

After three months of maternity leave with her first child, she was trying to hold back tears. The new year is coming, and that means she has to go back in to the office, leaving her new born behind.

And it made me think about how many of us have been in that same spot, whether we have kids or not.

That moment when work isn’t something you choose, it’s something you owe.

Because the bills don’t stop. Because people depend on you. Because your financial reality doesn’t give you much room to breathe.

There’s nothing wrong with working.

A lot of us find meaning in it. Purpose. Pride. But there’s a big difference between working because you want to…and working because you have to.

For so many of us, especially those of us who are first-gen or the ones our families lean on, that difference is real. It shows up in the decisions we make, the opportunities we pass on, and the weight we carry quietly every day.

That conversation reminded me why planning matters.

Not perfection. Not having everything figured out. Just taking steps so that one day, we get to make choices from a place of freedom, not pressure. Work is a blessing. But being able to choose your work?

That’s a different kind of peace.

From LUX, With Love

Matt