Lars satt ved skrivebordet sitt i en moderne kontorbygning i Oslo.

Lars sat at his desk in a modern office building in Oslo.

Utenfor vinduene dalte snøen sakte ned over byens gater, og inne summet maskinene som vanlig.

Outside the windows, the snow slowly drifted down over the city's streets, and inside, the machines hummed as usual.

Det var vinter, og alt virket litt roligere, bortsett fra på Lars sitt kontor hvor stresset var i ferd med å toppe seg.

It was winter, and everything seemed a bit calmer, except for in Lars' office where the stress was about to peak.

Lars var en mellomleder, kjent for å være pålitelig.

Lars was a middle manager, known for being reliable.

Men nå følte han seg stadig mer frakoblet fra familien.

But now he felt increasingly disconnected from his family.

Ingrid, hans kone, hadde ofte nevnt hvor lite tid han tilbrakte hjemme, mens deres datter, Mette, hadde et viktig fotballkamp rett rundt hjørnet.

Ingrid, his wife, had often mentioned how little time he spent at home, while their daughter, Mette, had an important soccer game coming up soon.

Lars ville så gjerne være der for å støtte henne, men han visste også at sjefen ventet en viktig prosjektlevering i dag.

Lars really wanted to be there to support her, but he also knew that his boss expected an important project delivery today.

Tanken på prosjektet presset seg på.

The thought of the project pressed on him.

Lars visste at han måtte levere noe før dagen var omme.

Lars knew he had to deliver something before the day was over.

Men så; et bilde fanget blikket hans.

But then, a picture caught his eye.

Der sto Mette, med et stort vinnende smil etter en tidligere kamp.

There was Mette, with a big winning smile from a previous game.

Han merket en varm følelse av stolthet bre seg.

He felt a warm feeling of pride spread through him.

Klokken tikket mot innleveringsfristen, og stresset toppet seg da han tastet bort siste setninger på prosjektet.

The clock ticked toward the submission deadline, and the stress peaked as he typed away the final sentences of the project.

Likevel, tanken på å skuffe Mette ved ikke å møte opp på kampen, gnagde i bakhodet.

Yet, the thought of disappointing Mette by not showing up at the game gnawed at the back of his mind.

Valget måtte tas.

A choice had to be made.

Lars pustet dypt, skrev en kort e-post til sjefen med det han hadde fått gjort, og bestemte seg for å dra.

Lars took a deep breath, wrote a short email to his boss with what he had accomplished, and decided to go.

Prosjektet var ikke helt ferdigstilt, men han visste at ordene til Ingrid og smilet til Mette betydde mer nå.

The project was not entirely complete, but he knew that Ingrid's words and Mette's smile meant more now.

Han ankom fotballbanen akkurat i tide.

He arrived at the soccer field just in time.

Snøen knirket under støvlene mens han skyndte seg mot tribunen.

The snow crunched under his boots as he hurried towards the stands.

Mette så ham ikke med én gang, men Lars så hvordan selvtilliten strålte ut av henne da hun scoret et mål i siste minutt.

Mette didn’t see him right away, but Lars saw how her confidence radiated as she scored a goal in the last minute.

Etter kampen møttes de med en sterk omfavnelse.

After the game, they met with a strong embrace.

Mette smilte stort og klemte ham hardt.

Mette smiled broadly and hugged him tightly.

Flere timer senere fikk Lars en telefon fra sjefen.

Several hours later, Lars received a phone call from his boss.

"Godt gjort," sa han.

"Well done," he said.

Lars ble overrasket, men lettet.

Lars was surprised but relieved.

Sjefen hadde notert seg den delvise rapporten og oppfattet Lars' prioriteringer som et godt eksempel på balansen mellom jobb og familie.

The boss had noted the partial report and perceived Lars' priorities as a good example of balancing work and family.

Denne opplevelsen endret noe hos Lars.

This experience changed something in Lars.

Han skjønte at å være mer til stede for familien ikke bare gjorde ham lykkeligere, men også bedre i stand til å prestere på jobben.

He realized that being more present for his family not only made him happier but also better able to perform at work.

Fra denne vinterdagen av fi kk arbeid og familie en mer balansert plass i hans liv.

From this winter day forward, work and family found a more balanced place in his life.