I’m not sure where middle age begins, but I’m pretty sure that even grading on the most generous curve, I’m in it. In some ways, maybe we all are. With Kim's father in hospice the past week, and with his only brother in hospice for three weeks before that, I've naturally been thinking a lot about life and death. And last times. Gary and his wife Joyce are experiencing a lot of last times right now. And reflecting on the ones they didn't realize were the last when they happened. I wonder, is middle age the point of life when you start collecting more last times than …
The Only Problem with Saving the Best for Last
I'm the type of person who saves the cherry on his sundae for the end. I've always been able to save the best for last. The best bite, the biggest present, the activity I'm looking forward to most. My youngest daughter is like me in this regard. My wife, not so much. Unfortunately, sometimes I'm so good at saving the best for last that I accidentally save the best for never. Last weekend, I sat on the swing at the edge of our backyard and had a staring contest with Lake Michigan. I read a book and sipped hot apple cider and let the sun warm me before Old Man Winter starts …
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May This Force Be With You
May the force be with you. Especially if that force is the power of compound interest.Even a small amount of money, if earning interest and given enough time, will eventually become a mighty sum. It's a much better play than burying money in a metal can under a maple tree. The hard part is getting started because it takes a while to notice any momentum and it's more gratifying to spend those dollars on something you can enjoy NOW. Only recently have I realized the power of compound interest extends beyond the financial realm.When I was in my twenties, I regretted not being able to put money …
Based on True Events
Sometimes you'll see a message at the beginning of a movie letting you know it was "based on true events." There's something dramatic about it because it's exhilarating to watch an amazing story that wasn't just imagined, but really happened. At least part of it. You see, I'm always skeptical of that claim because I feel they're being intentionally vague. It makes me wonder, what parts are the true parts? How much of it is factual? Half? Thirty-three percent? One percent? Did they leave out important details? Or exaggerate stuff for the sake of a better story? Did they shorten the …
The Myth of Perfect Timing
Is it weird that I don't remember my first kiss? That's weird, right?Another fun fact is that my first few kisses were instigated by the girl, not me. And that's not because I had so many of them chasing me; it's because I was waiting for the timing to be perfect.Was I waiting for a red, Jamaican-accented crab holding a big neon sign blinking, "Kiss the girl!"? No, of course not. That's ridiculous.I was waiting for the billboard after that to assure me that the first sign was the sign I was waiting for.Truthfully, I was afraid. I was lost in questions: Is this the …
Be a Slingshot
We’ve been bitten. By a spider.It started when we went to see Spider-Man: No Way Home before Christmas. Which led us to watch the original Toby Maguire trilogy and we just finished Andrew Garfield’s two films. My family officially has Spider-Man fever.No matter the film, I always love the dazzling acrobatic shots of Spidey swinging through the Manhattan landscape. But there’s one move I like that I don’t remember noticing before. Basically, he uses his webs to create a slingshot, and after pulling himself back, propels himself forward in order to quickly cover more ground than …
Stop Waiting to Be Discovered
She has an art degree. Two, in fact. The pottery she makes is beautiful. She has what it takes to make a solid living from her craft.Instead, she tends bar and works part-time on the assembly line for a manufacturing company. I've been thinking a lot about what Jeff Civillico said in an interview on Escape Adulthood LIVE. He is an award-winning Las Vegas headliner, entertainer, speaker, and emcee. He told us that when he speaks to young people, one of the questions he gets asked the most is, "Who discovered you?"After a brief pause, his answer is... "Me!"And it's true. If you listen to …
Don’t Let Your Kids Grow Up to Be Dillholes
I know a guy who claims that his family is the most important thing in his life. He also brags about spending 300 days a year on the road as a speaker.I don’t know how many hours one needs to spend with one’s loved ones to register as "enough," but by my calculations, the math here doesn’t add up.Why is the person who works 60-hour weeks, spends 200 days on the road, and sits on three charitable boards applauded when they say that family is the most important thing, but another person who quits the rat race to stay home and spend more time with their family is seen as an underachiever not …
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Not Everything Has to Be a Yes
The starting gun is about to go off. The sprint is about to begin.You remember the sprint, right? Before we were confined to our homes and our extracurricular activities got cut off at the knees, we were expert sprinters. Rushing from one thing to the next with great efficiency. Oh, our health sometimes suffered and we were often too dizzy to consider if all the activity was even worth it, but we were good at running the race. It was almost comfortable.Then the world stopped.For the first time in a long time, we had time on our hands. Time to spend with family. Time to prepare and eat real …
Now for the Fun Part: An Open Letter to Grads
Hello, graduate. Congratulations on your accomplishments and a job well done!Now for the fun part.You’ve made it this far by following directions, filling in little circles, asking for permission, standing in line, and raising your hand before speaking up. The instructions have been clear: do this (take these classes, write this paper, complete this assignment) and get this (pass the course, earn a recommendation, receive a degree.) You got to this point by following the rules. Now that you’ve graduated, it’s time to start breaking some. Make no mistake, the work is …
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