Recently, even with everything going on in the world, space travel has been back in the news. On May 30, the United States launched astronauts from US soil for the first time since the retirement of the Space Shuttle in 2011. While not only being a return to space from US soil, this marked the first launch of a commercially built spacecraft as the astronauts were aboard the SpaceX Crew Dragon spacecraft on the company’s Falcon 9 rocket. For those interested in history, the spacecraft was launched from Launch Complex 39A which is same complex that launched Apollo 11 in 1969.
As I watched the launch it reminded me of my childhood as I wanted to be an astronaut. I do not remember exactly why, but I remember being fascinated by the sky and what was out there. Even today, Apollo 13 is still one of my favorite movies. During one vacation, I remember my parents purchased me the poster below:
This poster hung in the bedroom my sister and I shared. Being almost four years younger, my sister Elissa, did not want me to be an astronaut as she worried the doors would open in space and I would get sucked out. For whatever reason, this goal of being an astronaut changed, but fortunately I get to relive my fascination of space as Francis is starting to ask about the sun, moon and stars. Who knows, we could look back on the launch of a few weeks ago as our first step in going to Mars and maybe Francis could set foot on the Red Planet one day.
If we think about our lives, it is very similar to the Falcon 9 rocket. Historically, most rockets were expendable, use once and that is it. The Falcon 9, on the other hand, is partially reusable and returns to Earth following a launch and lands vertically. We have all heard the term, what goes up, must come down, while still true for the Falcon 9, the difference is it can once again return to prior highs. This is like our lives. We have moments of extreme happiness and joy as well as those moments of fear and sadness. Rather, what defines us is what we do to get back to those highs and feel the joy once again. Examples of highs shared with me this week were the birth of a new grandchild, the sale of a business and a phone call from a friend just to say hi. Remember none of us get out of life unscathed. I am fortunate enough that you share your highs and lows with me, and I get to travel with you through the solar system of your life, thank you.
Keeping the rocket analogy going, the market as measured by the S&P 500 was down approximately 4.7% this week. While the market has shot up approximately 35.9% since the March 23 lows, it is potentially in the process of finding its landing spot, a spot to create a new launchpad for higher future closes.
This weekend allow yourself a few minutes to look at the stars and dream. Dream about your future or your family’s future and know we are here to try and help you make those dreams a reality.
Chris
Chris Zeches, CFP®
Managing Partner