ON VACATION AND MORTALITY
“Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.” At least that’s what George Gershwin et al wrote back in the 1930s, in the opera Porgy and Bess.
Friends and I sang that song a couple of weeks ago. I was on vacation at a place called Danebod Family Camp, in Tyler, Minnesota. We also sang dozens of other songs, in addition to other activities such as folk dancing, crafts, games, and discussion. It was a great week!
I led one of the camp discussions, guided by Oliver Burkeman’s 2021 book, Four Thousand Weeks: Time Management for Mortals. Burkeman calculates that if a person lives to age 80, they’ll have lived that number of weeks. The subtitle addresses how we might best use our limited number of weeks on earth.
We had a lively discussion, since people in the room ranged from teens with over 3000 weeks left, to those in bonus time, i.e., already at 4300 weeks and counting.
One of Burkeman’s main points was that our society has an obsession with productivity; that obsession reflects a hidden emotional agenda of avoiding anxiety about mortality.
While my beliefs in Jesus and heaven tend to allay my anxiety, I confess I still struggle with productivity. It’s just so satisfying to get things done.
That’s why I appreciated Burkeman’s advice to enjoy hobbies (and not obsess over productivity). I certainly enjoyed some of my hobbies at Danebod Family Camp. Perhaps you also have hobbies to enjoy. I’m curious what they are, so let me know the next time we talk.
I hope you find time for vacations and hobbies this summer. As Burkeman advises, “If a certain activity really matters to you . . . the only way to be sure it will happen is to do some of it today. . . .”
May some of your livin’ be easy this summer. Happy Independence Day, and have a great week!
Phil Grant
(651) 224-9793
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