We've planned and hosted a wedding almost every year for the past eleven years. We just happen to call them Escape Adulthood Summits. Sending out invitations. Finding a venue. Decorating said venue to create a magical vibe. Booking entertainment. Organizing not one, but at least three meals. Creating swag bags. And planning two days' worth of inspiring, entertaining, and hopefully life-changing content. We've never had elaborate tiered cakes, but we have had whoopie pies, s'mores, and an ice cream truck. We've loved putting them on. Especially the end result that comes from it. But …
Lifestyle Design
Shiny Objects and Our Search for Meaning
They don't make Super Bowl rings like they used to. A recent speaking engagement in Ohio provided me the opportunity to take my son Ben along for a side trip to Canton, home of the Pro Football Hall of Fame. One of the standout displays was its collection of Super Bowl rings. You can see and compare every ring, from the first commemorating the Green Bay Packers' victory in Super Bowl I, to the one awarded to the LA Rams for winning Super Bowl LVI. The recent versions look less like rings and more like diamond-encrusted paperweights. The Super Bowl LVI ring is shaped like …
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Your Life as a Goonie
My family watched The Goonies recently. I've probably seen it a dozen times, as it was a favorite from my childhood. If you haven't seen it, Wikipedia offers this summary: "The Goonies is a 1985 American adventure comedy film co-produced and directed by Richard Donner from a screenplay by Chris Columbus, and based on a story by Steven Spielberg. In the film, a group of kids who live in the 'Goon Docks' neighborhood of Astoria, Oregon, attempt to save their homes from foreclosure and, in doing so, they discover an old treasure map that takes them on an adventure to unearth the long-lost …
The Most Important Thing to Do Today
How many Froot Loops can you stack on top of one another before they topple over? How tall would someone's tower have to be for you to find yourself impressed? We often relish the opportunity to declare how many activities we're balancing. Like a status symbol, our busyness signals our importance. We could pretend the pink ones are work responsibilities, the yellow ones are family and household chores, maybe the orange ones are volunteer commitments, and the green ones are hobbies...All hail the one with the highest stack of Froot Loops! I am always in awe of people who seem to …
Can I Interest You in Some Free Happiness?
We were at the dinner table, eating spaghetti and meatballs. As I raised my fork, I paused and made a declaration. "We need some Vitamin Sea. Let's go to Florida." No convincing was needed. Everyone dropped their silverware and pushed themselves back from the table. We hastily packed a few bags and loaded into the car, leaving our dirty dishes behind. We were off! Ok...that's not exactly how it went when Kim and I decided our family needed a break and chose Destin as our destination. Spaghetti wasn't involved, there were about two weeks between the decision and the …
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The Mystery of First and Last Times
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 …