I’ve been working too much lately. Days, nights, even some weekend time on a big project for my new work gig.
Not enough time for the fun stuff. For writing. For fishing. For hanging out with friends.
How easily we fall back into our old habits of arranging our lives around the pursuit of the almighty dollar. How quickly we forget that time, not money, is the precious thing, the scarce thing, the one commodity in this life that cannot be bought, traded, or bartered.
I, with my driven personality, have always had a problem in this all-important area of having fun. Somewhere long ago in my psychic past, I fixed on the idea that life is about work and achievement. Even today when I’m supposed to be semi-retired, I need to feel like I’m making progress against my goals and my to-do list.
The thing is, for Type A people like us (I know there are many more of you out there), there’s no end to the goals and the to-do lists. They just keep a’ coming.
The bills too. Yes, we must make a living in this world. Yes, this is a big year for me with multiple weddings (including my own) and lots of expenses. But how easily we forget—I forget—that life is exceedingly fragile and can be taken away at any moment.
How easily we forget that while we’re working for that paycheck and running around ticking off the items on our to-do lists, we are missing out on other opportunities for spending our time.
Do all these things really need to be done? Do we really need to buy that pricey item on our list? Do we really need that extra money from putting in overtime at work?
Maybe, just maybe, the most meaningful thing we could do at that particular moment is to spend it with a loved one or take a walk through the woods and allow our spirits to be refilled by the ever-flowing spring of nature.
And so, in the immortal words of Bilbo Baggins, I think it’s quite time for another adventure. Today, I’m heading off with my youngest son Liam on an 8-day cross-country camping through New England.
Our first stop will be in the Green Mountains of Vermont, and then it will be onto Acadia National Park in Maine.
It’s a beautiful day for traveling, sunny and warm, nothing but blue skies overhead and the road below. May is such a lovely time of year in the Northeast. It’s my favorite month of the year aside from October. What better way to begin the month than by spending a week with family?
We’ll be sharing pictures of our adventure on my Instagram account @jamesbriankerr if you want to follow along.
May your day be filled with peace and adventures of your own.