Not everyday that I write do I have great thoughts cruising through my brain or out my fingers. Tonight is one of those nights. Don't worry about reading it. There will be a better one next time. It doesn't even warrant pictures.
Hurray, it is Friday. I sit here alone at the computer on a Friday night to put out my latest thought stream. People get so pumped for the weekend. For over a decade and half I have no idea what that means. The same people also curse Monday. Heck, doesn’t that mean that you are moving towards another weekend that you are so looking forward to again? I truly don’t get it because of the life I chose many years ago and the life I have recently attached as my future livelihood. I get it, when I was in school, sales, teaching, and the corporate world the weekend was manna from heaven. Two nights and two days of no responsibilities and fun for 48 hours. Sunday night would roll around and the toys got put away and the begrudging thoughts of another week crept into our psyche. The only problem for me is that I don’t remember what that is like. Weekends were just another work day.
Don’t get me wrong; it is fun to hang out with your peers on a “normal” schedule but that just wasn’t how it was or how it will be for me. There are advantages though. The lake isn’t nearly as crowded on a random weekday. Neither is the golf course. Walmart though, it is crowded all the time. Also, it is great that you can get out on the lake or golf course, but it is hard to ski by yourself. Bass fishing is okay, but that is about it. Golfing is much faster by yourself, but it is never good to drink alone. By the way, the cabernet sauvignon this evening is very nice. It really sounds as if I am complaining but it is far from it. I have never minded the odd schedule. When I worked in the college world, summers were very slow, so the week was perfect for frivolous activities, or used for making some side cash. The weekends, even in the summer were used for going to tournaments looking for the next talented player. In the new career of real estate, people want to see houses at the damnedest of times. After 5pm on weekdays and at any daylight hour on the weekend. It is like we open the doors at 4:30 every afternoon and keep them open all weekend.
I’ve pondered frequently what it would be like to have the normal Monday through Friday schedule. It sounds, at times, appealing. However, it is really cool to get up from my desk at noon on any given day and leave the office. Freedom to move about the area at any time. Oh wait, you can leave but you cannot hide. With the advent of this innovative technology we are available anywhere. This was the same in coaching. Players from around the world would call at all hours of the day or night. Somehow, they would misjudge the time difference and really need to get that call into you at 12:30am or maybe 5:30 the same morning. I cannot remember if any of those calls earned scholarships or not. The same thing happens in real estate. Random phone calls on listings at 11:30pm. Really, do you head off to the car lot or maybe your dentist at 11:30 at night. Look, don’t touch. I’m just kidding. We love those calls and if we don’t take them some other hungry agent will scoop them up, change out of their pajamas and go show them the damn property. Fantastic job guys. Keep up the hustle so we cannot rest at all.
If you’ve read this far it sounds a little bit like a gripe session. It is not. I love it, find it humorous, and enjoy the challenges that are presented. The freedoms we have gained from all this technology is mind boggling. It has really allowed us ease of everything. Surely, in the next few years it will also make us all smarter, more caring, and less abrasive to our fellow man. I firmly believe, that in the next few years we will also realize what fools we have been and want to reconnect with humans instead of just screens. Don’t get me wrong, the technology is awesome and will only get better but for a vast majority of people the ability to communicate, share, and survive with another human next to them has been lost. At some point, sanity will prevail, and we will use the technology for improvement and convenience. All this stuff has stopped us from having the free time we used to enjoy. My favorite phrase I hear at least everyday is this: “I am so busy!” Really, doing what? What are you so busy doing now that five years ago you weren’t doing? Stop being so accessible to beeps, dings, and the screen that barely fits in your pocket. Sit down, relax, I mean really relax, and speak to someone eye to eye. It is a lost art.
Well shoot, I’ve just rambled on for the past 844 words and don’t know what I accomplished. Okay, I like my non-Monday through Friday schedule. It is my norm. I appreciate that others like their schedule. I love what I currently do but think having parameters for engagement is not out of line and I think technology is great but has become an excuse for “busyness” and not actually helped with productivity. You’ll have a great weekend on the lake, links, or “honey do list”. I’m going to go shovel some poop, sell some houses, and answer random calls all weekend. Don’t feel sorry, not that you do, next Wednesday is looking sweet for a quick escape. Enjoy your family and create your adventure, whenever and wherever you can.
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