Friends of Dave #349: the saint of sick days
Pictures might be worth a thousand words, but they can't tell the whole story.
With it being the long Labor Day weekend for Friends in the U.S. this week, I promise this will be a quick intro…
Not only does Labor Day signal the unofficial end of summer for most of us, it also marks the beginning of the new school year for kids all over the country.
No doubt your various social media feeds have already started to get populated with the pictures of fresh faced young people of all ages from your proud parent friends.
How can you not fondly smile at all of the “first day of XX grade” signs, the minted haircuts and new school duds, the backpacks and fresh clean sneaks? I mean, you can almost smell the plastic binders, the newly unboxed erasers and the fumes coming from the school bus that took you off to school back in the day as you scroll, can’t you?
Of course, with each passing year the kids get older. Eventually the social media timelines begin to fill with inevitable scenes from college campuses all over the country….the jam packed SUVs, the clean new bedding fitted with care by worried but proud parents, the band posters on the wall, the roommates, the mascots….
That was us this week — drop off of kid number 3, the aspiring rocker who can carry a tune but can’t drive so good, ready for year 2 at his university.
It’s safe to say that every one of these drop offs has been unique for us.
From the range of emotions emanating from everyone in the weeks and days leading up to it to the process and pace of packing and loading the car; the banter (or lack thereof) on the journey to campus, the weather on move-in day, the living situations, the friend groups and roommate chemistry to the variety of expectations from parents and kids alike; the anticipation on arrival, the unpacking, all the build up to our inevitable departure; the last minute, carefully worded bits of wisdom and advice we try to sneak in, final hugs good-bye and that rush of anxiety/pride/relief/sadness/you name it we have as we drive away….looking back in the rear view mirror wondering if we will get a wave…or maybe the finger….
It’s all of the real stuff behind that carefully curated picture posted on a timeline….and, despite each picture having a smiling kid and smiling family members, the drop off is always different.
Friends, I’m pleased to say that this one was a good one from start to finish.
While he was eager to get back to campus and his “people,” we enjoyed a fun, relaxed day together (the perfect late summer/early Fall weather didn’t hurt). He also shared his ideas on how he would like to build on a good first year and make this second year even better.
In the end, seeing him happy made us happy. We left hoping that the year ahead will lead to some fun experiences and success in whatever he wants to achieve. The big smile and wave we got in return as we drove away makes me confident that he is going to do just fine….
Enjoy this last long weekend of summer. Best to you and yours as everyone sets out on their own journeys this Fall!
XOXO
Dave
And now a few things to make you smarter…
The distribution of wealth is an important measure of the economic power of each generation. In the U.S., for example, baby boomers own half of the nation’s $156 trillion in assets despite making up 21% of the country’s population. Here is some interesting visual analysis of the assets and liabilities held by each American generation.
For nearly 6,000 episodes of 'The Price Is Right,' from 1972 to 2007, Barker guided generations of viewers through their mornings with empathy, wry exasperation and the chance to win a new car. And in the process, became appointment viewing during the pre-internet age for home bound kids all over.
This year, thanks to Starbucks, you don’t have to wait for decorative gourd season to get your pumpkin spice fix. So you already catch a whiff of sugary spices in the air, it’s not your imagination. It’s just the smell of manufactured autumnal nostalgia.
In Imperial Rome, no man of honor would think of wearing what was considered the garb of a savage barbarian. That was until the fashion of German soldiers lead to the trouserization of Roman troops.
Note: For some reason, I found this to be the most fascinating article I read this week. Anyone who has spent time on a sports field or gone to a CrossFit gym might think the same.
When Dan Campbell, coach of the perennially bad Detroit Lions NFL team, needed something to help change the culture, he turned to the simple yet somehow instantly exhausting drill the world has loved -- and loved to hate -- since it was invented just before World War II by a New York-based physiologist with a funny last name: the burpee (also known as “squat thrust” or “up-downs”). It's an exercise of such profound power and perfection it has changed the course of human history.