While I write many blogs and other types of content throughout the week, the Weekly Column is my weekly feature topic, which will also be the basis of my weekly radio show and #dadchat. Posted on Sunday night or Monday morning, they are a great way to start off your week with something to think about, as well as something to talk about.
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Freestyle skier Evan Schwartz at Park City – Photo by Zach Hellmuth
This past winter, beginning in mid-January, I spent the majority of my time in Park City, Utah. We intend to move there permanently in the summer of 2015 but, for now, we are shuttling between Park City and Los Angeles, the latter having been my primary home for my entire life.
Peter Yarrow is one-third of the famous folk trio, Peter Paul & Mary. I’ve been a fan since the sixties when I attended a concert of theirs at The Hollywood Bowl. That concert was my first date ever. I was a young 15-year-old going out with a mature 16-year-old. I spent the entire concert working up the courage to put my arm around her shoulders as we sat, side by side, singing along to “Blowin’ in the Wind” and “If I Had a Hammer.”
I had a conversation with a friend about getting older, quality of life, and how baby boomers are continuing to try and re-invent everything. Out of this conversation came a great “What If,” which I want to explore and ask YOU what you would do?
Yes, we’ve all heard the phrase “you’re only as old as you feel.” And, I tend to agree with it. I am living life to the fullest in my memory. Nonetheless, there are things that make me “feel” old, emotionally. There are so many contemporary examples that I feel compelled to make a list. Heck, we all like lists. And, as it’s turned out, I can’t even complete the list in one column!
One of my enjoyments in life is getting to know all sorts of people, from all walks of life, places, and all ages. My boys often get embarrassed when I strike up conversations with strangers but I love what I learn from people. And, often, these encounters lead to cool opportunities and opened doors. My second career is thriving largely due to this outgoing side of my personality for which I’m very grateful.
I like to engage with pretty much anyone I meet wherever I am or wherever I go. It may be in a foreign country such as on my recent trip to Africa or simply sitting next to someone on a chair lift when skiing. If the person is young, I’m especially interested in the choices they will be making and I often ask personal questions about whether they are in a relationship or not. If I sense they are open to these questions, I will probe further.
One of my favorite mantras is that the job of being a parent is being our kids best parent rather than their best friend. As strongly as I believe in that, I also believe we can be cool to our kids by doing things that support being their best parent. This may seems at odds, but truly it’s not.
If you’ve been following my columns over the years, you’ve followed my parental journey as my boys got older, as I got older, as I re-married, and as I’m doing more and more in new and old media. It’s been quite a trip and now I’m going to take another fork in the road.
