Escape Adulthood

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Archives for April 2019

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Life is Like a Box of Easter Eggs

My kids discovered a YouTube video that highlighted dozens of unique ways to decorate Easter eggs. They were excited to try out some of the new techniques they learned, many of which were new to me as well. There’s no one way to decorate an Easter egg. It reminded me that there’s also no one way to create an amazing life.  There are lots of different ways to earn money.There are lots of different ways to spend it.There are lots of different ways to allocate your time.And lots of options of where and who to spend that time with. Of course, you can do things by the book. You know, the “normal” way. With a cup of water, a few tablespoons of vinegar, and some drops of food coloring, you’ll get a “successful” life, I mean Easter egg.  Creating something that resembles a Fabergé egg requires an altogether different approach. Mind you, I’m not suggesting that it’s a better one. Task me with the job of crafting some sort of intricate pattern, and there’s a good chance our …

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Neil Mathweg, April 2019 Adultitis Fighter of the Month

An Adultitis Fighter is someone who rallies against rules that don't exist and engages in ruthless, senseless acts of silliness that undermine Adultitis and its unadventurous version of adulthood. Once a month, we shine a light upon the most remarkable among us, holding them up as a dazzling example of what we should strive for in this epic battle against a formidable enemy. Neil Mathweg may be 40, but you might guess he’s been drinking from the magical fountain of youth for years. Neil has managed to stay childlike and joyful, generously sharing his vibrant personality and creativity with everyone he meets. He’s a true inspiration and an everyday tinkerer. Luckily for those he encounters along the way, he is generous with sharing this childlike energy. His optimism is contagious and welcoming. He’s a true Adultitis Fighter, bringing Adultitis to its knees with every encounter. Neil surrounds himself with positive people and enters the world with an attitude that inspires even …

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Are You Suffering From Indecent Exposure?

Do you ever feel like our world is going to heck in a hand basket? Are you discouraged by current events and the downward spiral of civility? Does it seem like nobody cares anymore? You might be suffering from indecent exposure. What we watch on TV, the discussions we engage in online, and who we spend time with all influence our worldview, casting it in either a positive or negative light. If we are exposed to negativity, that negativity will influence us. Let's start with the so-called "news." No matter what side of the political aisle you are on and which cable news show you prefer, watching those programs is no longer about staying informed. Both sides are pushing an agenda specifically designed to rile you up and get you angry (so you’ll be influenced to keep watching.) Spend too much time on social media and it’s not hard to fall into a tsunami of hateful comments and poisonous vitriol. And it's not just politics. I’m a Cubs fan, and sometimes the online …

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The Bad Thing About Tax Refunds

Tomorrow is tax day in the United States. For many years, Kim and I looked forward to a tax refund, dreaming about how big it might be and what we'd do with the windfall. It felt like a little present, which is weird, because if you buy a sandwich with a twenty dollar bill and the clerk gives you fifteen dollars back, you don’t thank him for the gift. Of course, it was really our money all along. We simply paid more taxes than we were required to over the course of the year, and the government sent us back the change. In the early days, the main reason we got such a good refund is because our business was not very successful. And by not very successful, I mean it lost money, which is the exact opposite of what you want your business to do. The interesting thing is what happened in my mind when the business finally started to thrive. The refunds got smaller, then stopped. We started having to pay more taxes. Because I liked the feeling of receiving a check rather than …

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A Message for When You Feel Like a Failure

Grace is a tricky thing. It’s something we all need but are loathe to accept. Although we perhaps aren’t as generous with it as we could be, we’d still much rather give it than receive it. My son Ben is seven. He has been writing books, typing pages on the computer and printing them out, leaving plenty of space for illustrations. (As I have taught him. ;) His most recent version was about Ninjago, a weighty tome that was a full eight pages in length. Ben’s big sister Lucy served as editor, helping correct some misspellings and punctuation errors. Before her involvement, the sentences were choppy, missing some words, and as most of the copy was generated by sound-spelling, it was tainted by the common accent of childhood. For example: “Liybawey.” Can you figure it out? It’s one of our family’s favorite haunts. Also known as the “library." Now, do I look down on him for the missteps, for the obvious spelling errors, and the shallow, predictable plot? Of course not. Do …

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