You will never regret the time you spend with people Published April 19, 2017 By Maj. Traci Bowman 60th Logistics Readiness Squadron TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. - This March I reached a milestone of 24 years of service - one I never thought I would achieve when I left my home as a young kid not sure exactly what I wanted to do, but knowing I didn’t want to do it living at home with my parents. While I have had amazing adventures and been given incredible opportunities, there is a fairly common lesson I learn each time my family packs up our home for the next assignment: regret. Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m not talking heart-wrenching regret like you see in a lifetime movie, but the kind you promise yourself you won’t make again—the regret of not spending more time with your military family. I get it, we are busy, but have you ever tried to pack a ton of going away lunches and dinners your last month at the assignment because you realize how little time you spent with your (fill-in-the-blanks)? Have you ever tried to fit your base X bucket list in the month before you move? When we arrived at Travis we were immediately invited to dinner, and one of the guests suggested we continue getting together monthly for dinner with fairly simple rules: No kids and we rotate houses. This monthly dinner is one of my favorite events and it has helped me plan other dinners, brunches and even camping trips with people we like spending time with, instead of hunkering down in the house every weekend using the long hard week as an excuse to be hermits. I share this with you to inspire you to pick up the phone this week and invite your neighbors over for a barbeque, or get your co-workers together for coffee. Find people at your church and invite them out after service; whoever it is, make time to connect with the people around you. Travis is an amazing place with amazing people, so get out there and enjoy them both before you receive your next assignment notification.