On the nature of time and vacations

Hello Everyone,

I wasn't able to send out any emails while I was in the Mojave, so now that I'm back in civilization, you'll be getting a bunch in a short period.

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When you are young, opening Christmas presents was a double pleasure. You get the excitement of surprise and you get new stuff. It was great. Now as an adult, there is less of a surprise, and while you still get new stuff, usually you have enough money you could have just bought the thing in the first place. The best gift as an adult is actually the time the giver gives in selecting or finding the particular item. I’m not much of a fashion guy, for instance, so if I get a nice piece of clothing, it’s a great gift because while I could have bought it myself, I would likely never have thought to do so.

On a trip of the kind I'm on, as opposed to a regular vacation, one of the biggest pleasures isn’t just seeing cool stuff. You can see that on a regular vacation as well. It’s the time and flexibility you have. While I am finding I have a lot less free time during the day, I can arrange my days however I like. That’s a rare gift.

Pretty much everyone, rich or poor, for the vast majority of their lives, lives on someone else's schedule. That’s not totally bad. As mentioned, I miss that security and structure at times. But for most of your days, you either go to school or a job or you parent basically according to the dictates and needs of someone else.

Last night, when I went to bed, I wasn’t sure what my plan was for the next day, and indeed I only have an outline of a plan for the next month. There’s lots I want to do, but little I have to do. The pace of my days can be dictated by how I’m feeling. That’s a rare opportunity.

wes