Years ago I read a thought provoking and life changing article called Wait But Why?. A friend of mine brought it up last week which made me reflect on it again.
In Wait by Why? Tim creates a visual representation of the length of your life.
Each week of the year represented as a box and each year of your life as a row and the major phases of life each a different colour…
The Life of a Typical American
The point being, we have less time than we think so we need to get on with doing our Bigger Things. Do them now! Why wait?… or as Tim says… wait but why?
I found it to be a good article, good visual… I was getting it, yah I only have 51 Super Bowls left, I will only read another 300 books in my lifetime… but then I read this part and it hit me like a ton of bricks…
“It turns out that when I graduated from high school, I had already used up 93% of my in-person parent time. I'm now enjoying the last 5% of that time. We're in the tail end.” - Tim Urban, WaitButWhy.com
18 Summers
I read that and I realized that by the time my boys are done high school, 93% of my in-person time with them would be used up.
It was so visceral for me when I read that, it was one of those moments that I still remember exactly where I was sitting, every detail from that moment.
I was stunned… I started to cry. I knew that it was true but I hadn’t ever really thought about it before.
Now 93% probably isn’t exactly correct number for our family, BUT directionally that the number is correct. Maybe it’s more like 83% but it’s not 30%! We’re in the tail end.
I started thinking about my in-person time with my boys, that there are only 18 summers of their childhood.
Summers before they move away or have major work or girl friend or other commitments.
Meaning that each of these 18 summers with them are precious and are an opportunity to most importantly spend time together, to adventure together.
It made me reflect on how much the adventures and trips from my 18 summers of my youth impacted my life:
Family trips to Grand Bend and Mackinaw Island.
Boating with our parents and their friends.
Camping, canoeing and backpacking trips with Boy Scouts.
Cycling, sailing and windsurfing at my Aunt Jacque and Uncle Peter’s cottage.
Bikepacking trips with my friends Dave and Brian.
For me, adventure and nature has always made me feel the most connected.
Whether out on a bike in the forest, out on a boat, kiteboarding on the lake, wingfoiling on the ocean, hiking to a waterfall - those are the moments that I feel most connected to the world, when I feel most connected to the amazing creation and to God.
I want my boys to experience those things. For them to gain confidence and experience the bigger version of themselves, and to be ready for their own Bigger Things.
They are now a year away from moving away from home 🥹. At that point, they will carry with them the experiences, lessons, memories and confidence of those 18 summers.
To be able to start an outboard motor, to be able to travel through a major European train station and get on the right train, to pitch a tent and paddle a canoe, to be open to other cultures and eating ethnic dishes, to understand the amazing oneness of our world.
For them to go into the next phase of life… optimistic, hopeful, excited, skilled, confident and ENGAGED!
With only two summer left before University for them, I’m trying to ensure we adventure together as much as possible this summer and next.
So that they are ready for their Bigger Things.
Quote of the Week:
“You will spend 60,000 hours of life trying to make money. It’s worth spending 100 hours figuring out how to keep it.” - Michael Saylor
For a starting point to “figuring out how to keep it”, my recommendation is to read The Bitcoin Standard (Michael wrote the Forward to the book). Also Michael’s website hope.com is a great resource.
I hope everything has an amazing Canada Day 🇨🇦 and Independence Day 🇺🇸! I hope you are able to spend it with family 😁!
To Your Bigger Things!
Brad 💕👊
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