50 Fridays
The beginning of a journey
So I’m going to be 50 years old this year. Five decades on this rock. I'm generally pretty blase about milestone birthdays, but I feel like this is one I should celebrate in some fashion. I thought about doing one of those epic trip things that everyone I know does. Three weeks rock climbing and kayaking Tibet or some such fantastic journey. Now I love pointless adventures more than most, but that didn't quite satisfy my goals right now. I’m on this kick of reinvigorating my daily life.
I've been an indepndent since December of 2006. I stepped out on my own as a freelance journalist in 2006, and then transitioned to bootstrapping my own book publishing company in 2010. New businesses and freelancing are obsession, a 24-hour thing that never leaves you alone. And being a freelance journalist in this day and age requires nearly the same laser focus. That's a decade I have spent totally focused on making something of my own not to mention enough cash to pay the bills.
Slowly but steadily over the past year, I began to feel I was ready to adjust my life a little. I can't exactly imagine turning off the throttle, but channeling a little more energy into personal pursuits (bikes, travel, photography, and writing) and less into, say, budgeting and spreadsheets, began to seem possible.
So here I am, interested in finding a bit of balance, the same year I'm celebrating the five decades of time spent on this funky ball of dirt. What I want this year is to live life daily. Not to live for the next big adventure, but to live for the next day.
So how to commemorate my time in an appropriate manner?
I brought up my thoughts with my lovely wife, Joan, who as usual had wisdom to offer. Her suggestion? Fifty Fridays. Take every Friday (or part of it) off and do what I love. Ride my bike. That resonated with me. I loved the idea immediately!
So my plan for the year is to take 50 of the 52 Friday afternoons (or maybe the whole day) off to ride my bicycle. Road or mountain is OK, as long as I'm on two wheels. Ideally a 2-3 hour ride, but I know I'll have to make a compromise or two.
That works. That’s what I plan to do. And if I can write and shoot along the way a bit, all the better.
I've been an indepndent since December of 2006. I stepped out on my own as a freelance journalist in 2006, and then transitioned to bootstrapping my own book publishing company in 2010. New businesses and freelancing are obsession, a 24-hour thing that never leaves you alone. And being a freelance journalist in this day and age requires nearly the same laser focus. That's a decade I have spent totally focused on making something of my own not to mention enough cash to pay the bills.
Slowly but steadily over the past year, I began to feel I was ready to adjust my life a little. I can't exactly imagine turning off the throttle, but channeling a little more energy into personal pursuits (bikes, travel, photography, and writing) and less into, say, budgeting and spreadsheets, began to seem possible.
So here I am, interested in finding a bit of balance, the same year I'm celebrating the five decades of time spent on this funky ball of dirt. What I want this year is to live life daily. Not to live for the next big adventure, but to live for the next day.
So how to commemorate my time in an appropriate manner?
I brought up my thoughts with my lovely wife, Joan, who as usual had wisdom to offer. Her suggestion? Fifty Fridays. Take every Friday (or part of it) off and do what I love. Ride my bike. That resonated with me. I loved the idea immediately!
So my plan for the year is to take 50 of the 52 Friday afternoons (or maybe the whole day) off to ride my bicycle. Road or mountain is OK, as long as I'm on two wheels. Ideally a 2-3 hour ride, but I know I'll have to make a compromise or two.
That works. That’s what I plan to do. And if I can write and shoot along the way a bit, all the better.