A phrase from a paragraph in an employee handbook - from a long-ago place of employment - has always stuck with me.

"After one year of employment, you'll be eligible to take 11 vacation days. You may take five of those days after six months of employment; however, if you leave the company before your one-year employment anniversary, you must reimburse the company for the monetary value of those days."The monetary value of those days … The phrase reverberates with me. I hear it, and somewhere in the recesses of my mind, I believe I hear a sound something like a large metal prison door slamming shut.What is the monetary value of a day?Like me, you may have reached the point in your life where you print "varies" in the space for "hair color" on your hunting license. You may have begun taking vitamin and/or calcium supplements, but you need cheater glasses if you want to compare their labels.Two years ago, my friend Bill wanted me to join a group of people headed to Maine for a grouse hunting trip. I cited lack of funds and time. I mentioned concerns about putting 1,000 miles on my 2004 vehicle.I said I didn't think I could find someone to watch two of my dogs while I took the other two to Maine. I reminded him that I'd lived in Maine, and knew that he and his friends were headed into one of the state's prime moose hunting areas, and would be hunting grouse during moose season. Going to be lots of traffic on those back roads, I warned.Long story short, I came up with plenty of excuses and I didn't go. I passed up the chance to go on a hunting trip with one of my best friends.And I regret it still. Bill died the next year. He fit a description of a good hunting companion as described in the Upland Game Hunter's Bible, by Dan Holland (1961)."He must love the smell of autumn, and the feel of the crisp October air, and the sight of apples and alders that are a grouse's haunts. Most of all, he must be a hunter, through and through. He will pause while fishing in May just to listen to an old drummer do his stuff on the hillside above. During the spring and summer he will continually wonder how the old birds are faring with their broods. He will hate foxes and owls, and even heavy spring rains - anything and everything that might work against their well-being. He won't pass a likely cover at any time of year without trying to picture how many birds it holds and where they are using. And when autumn comes, the roar of a ruffed grouse's wings must set the blood pounding in his veins, must unleash something inside him like a triggered steel trap. This is an able partner, equally constituted. In no other hunting is the choice of a companion as important."It is impossible to bring back even one minute of lost time. If a friend or group of friends believes you to be that companion, who are you to remain at home? And what is the monetary value of a day? To figure that mathematically, you'd just take what you take home for a week's pay and divide by the days worked.But there's another way to figure it. Remember a great day that you spent outdoor with friends. What's the dollar value you'd accept to give back that day? Can't put a price on it, can you?So, make this your resolution for 2017. If a hunting buddy asks you to hop in the truck for a last-minute hunt - or a fishing outing, or a hike - bite back those words of excuses. Remember that you can't bring back a second of lost time or put a dollar value on time spent with friends. Thank your buddy for calling, and say that you're already waiting at the door.