#025 - My Summer of George
When was the last time you had the summer off?
I’ll assume that, like me, you had just received your learner’s permit somewhere in the first half of high school.
I haven’t had 10 weeks off in a row since I was in high school, let alone the whole summer.
That was two decades ago.
Hell, I haven’t had more than 2 weeks in a row off since college winter break.
Between junior and senior year of high school was the last time I played organized baseball, which until then, had consumed the majority of my free time and thought.
For my high school affiliated American Legion team, I hit something like 8 triples (summer means no fences in the northeast for all the field sports to share the space) in 15 games that summer.
I pitched for the first time since I was 9 (a great athletic regret would be why I didn’t pitch throughout my youth) and struck out 5 batters in 6 innings. I also gave up a bomb, but it was to my step-cousin - so I can’t be too mad.
But in 2023, at the ripe age of 37, I completed a summer to my own devices - I can’t be the only one who always wished they had more time, who would do things differently if they could just get a breather from work.
Thankfully, I had the opportunity.
Here’s what I learned after more than two months off as a thirty-seven year old, physician, and husband:
Time Waits for No Man
The summer of 2023 is over now. It will never come back.
You will never have the time back.
You will never have the advantages of youth on your side: you will never be younger than you are right now.
The best time to plant a tree was 20 years ago. The next best time is now.
Currently, there are no known methods to stop senescence.
I can already tell that my body does not respond the same as it did 5, let alone 10, years ago to things like variations in diet, exercise, and sleep quality.
Everything takes more time to reclaim as we age. And there is the challenge: time is finite.
Invest your time wisely.
Attention is the cash value of time. Everything is valuable only to the extent of how much attention you could pay to it...Sam Harris
Sunshine is Special
Not having to pray for good weather between night shifts, enjoying my time outdoors, less time forcing a tan and I’m sure my skin will thank me for that.
Prioritize Relationships
My wife and I have become closer than we have ever been after knowing each other for a decade.
We have continued to invest time in our shared vision for us in the present and the future.
Save Your Money
I haven’t gotten paid.
I am not working a contract, that’s how it works - Save your money!
Otherwise, this lifestyle can be a nightmare and not a personal improvement opportunity.
We don’t live paycheck-to-paycheck, we have no debt, our cars are paid for, our housing is reasonable, and we are aligned on what is and what is not worth spending money on.
Sleep is Golden
I’ve never been an easy sleeper, a good sleeper.
I shudder to judge so harshly, but it’s the truth.
This past summer, even with my mild baseline insomnia, I woke up to an alarm less than a handful of times - most of those only to catch early flights.
It has been remarkable how enjoyable it is to leave your phone in another room each night.
I have nothing to think about besides sleeping my fill and then starting the day.
When was the last time you had the summer off?
What type of lifestyle would you like to live, but you feel that you can’t?
Find a way to fit it in before it’s too late.
Contracting gave me the summer off even if I hadn’t planned for it in advance.
Deliberately choose the life you want.
Now is the time to plan for the summer of 2024.