A recent episode of the “This American Life” radio program was all about lists and how they make sense of our chaotic lives. I caught myself nodding vigorously a few more times than I should have out of familiarity.
Who among us doesn’t use lists? Post-It Notes, notes apps on our smartphones, whiteboards, scrawling on palms in desperation … the beckon call of bullets wraps us up daily and keeps us from devolving into rudderless oafs.
Usually my lists are pretty mundane – Home Depot, Costco, fix X and Y in my house on Saturday morning, mail birthday card – all the things. But today, I thought I’d dig up a deeper list, one that I’m sure I’ll revisit as I get older and undoubtedly crankier. Simple truths that 15-years-ago me (pre-marriage, pre-girl dad) would not know how to speak, let alone type.
So let’s get ‘em down so I can come back in another 15 years, agape at my youthful indulgences. I’ll see what I can do about updating this list on a semi-regular basis, but you know how that goes.
Here are my 15 simple truths:
- I’ve finally embraced my inner introvert. Weekend late nights devouring audiobooks, productivity pods or belly-laughing through a few chapters of David Sedaris fills my nerd tank with higher-octane fuel than a night on the town. Come to think of it, writing things like this does, too.
- Now I’m no curmudgeon. Said nights on town, in measured doses and with the right friends, are calendar-noted occasions. And on those occasions, I’ve come to believe alcohol isn’t worth the buzz or the rip-roaring headache the next morning. Mocktails and near-beers, your glory days are here!
- Curling up with my 12-year-old daughter on the couch for a movie is a feeling like no other. Even as she’s officially entered tweendom, she loves lazy bonding time with Mom and Dad. Yet I know our times doing this are numbered.
- I don’t like crowds and no longer feel the need to seek them out. While I relished the young professionals circuit in the early aughts, my happy place is much different now … although the grainy JPGs from my Sony CyberShot at Gators Dockside in 2001 when I ran a young alumni outpost for the UF Alumni Association still make me laugh.
- Life is short(er now). I want to make memories, not pursue trophies or random trappings of status that builds up in desk drawers, closets and eventually high-rent climate-controlled storage units. It all needs to be dusted, and just the thought of that is overwhelming … and probably about to make me sneeze.
- I drive my wife’s 2012 Honda CRV with 187K miles. And a 4-banger that goes 0 to 60 in 3 minutes. It’s paid off, and that “car payment” goes to my daughter’s college fund. A much better investment than some hot wheels to impress someone I probably wouldn’t like anyway.
- We all need a reality check when it comes to social media and scrolling. The opportunity cost of watching short-form videos peppered with pitches for tech wallets and razor subscriptions is unfathomable. Jonathan Haidt’s 2024 book “The Anxious Generation” is a must-read for any parent, anxious about their child’s predilection to screens. I say this while wholly recognizing that these platforms constitute a critical component of my industry and livelihood. Our role as comms leaders is to find the middle ground and be forces for good online.
- Leverage your tax dollars and participate in your local library. Get a card and listen to audiobooks on Libby. Donate when you can for those who can’t.
- I don’t feel guilty telling people I’d rather text than talk on the phone. I even ask for texts on my work out-of-office autoreply. It’s my love language.
- I’m too old to wait in line. A little forethought – online, prepaid ordering and scheduled appointments for the DMV or Genius Bar – gets you out of a lot of queues. Spontaneity is fun … in measured doses … but as a practical, transactional life philosophy it’s overrated. And when I’m in a line, I inevitably whip out my phone.
- I’m 45 pounds heavier now than on my wedding night. As every day goes by, I’m a little less perturbed at the prospect that these errant pounds will stay with me forever.
- No. 11 notwithstanding, I am embracing 5 a.m. wake-up calls again, early gym visits, meditation, journaling and simple silence. I want to be physically, emotionally and spiritually healthy, whether or not I can track it on my Apple Watch.
- I want to live to 100 … 110 years old. Why not? As long as some of my friends join me. Otherwise, it might be lonely up there, and I might have to go into a crowd or two to meet some new friends. Maybe there’ll be a new app to help me with that.
- I love the 34 years I had before I met my wife and I love the 17 years I’ve had since I met my wife. For vastly different yet wholly valid and fulfilling reasons.
- Dry saunas are the perfect antidote to Florida summers. Ten minutes at 190 degrees makes at 90 degrees feel like a welcome breeze … without the drenching weight of humidity.