At a warm family meal, Elena lets the spreadsheets fade. She notices how stories pass around the table—favorite teachers, first apartments, someone’s small victory at work—and thinks about the “balance sheet” of a week: time invested, joy accrued, fatigue to be repaid with rest. She offers toasting duties to the shy cousin, remembers everyone’s dessert preference, and quietly helps an elder to the best seat. These gatherings teach the same lessons she carries to the office: attention is a gift, budgets should include celebration, and gratitude compounds. When dishes are done, she jots one line in her phone: Today’s profit—togetherness.