The Nephew, the Niece, and the Nation’s Capital
Feel-good Friday
So I know this is a bit later than I typically deliver but sometimes life just gets in the way. I’ve been a bit upended and angsty of late, and this week especially so as it had me taking my first biz trip in over two years. Layer on to that the fact that the last 18 hours have cast me in the role of human stress ball, hoping (and kind of needing) to get on an earlier flight home (when every flight was looking for volunteers to give up seats) to address a pressing work issue…before I go away again for business on Monday. It was looking very not good…the scene at the gate was nothing short of a stampede…and I was starting to feel defeated…when I heard someone say (not over the loudspeaker) “last call for passenger Como.” I didn’t care that there was no first call for me…I had a boarding pass with my name on it (Comeau not Como 😂😂😂). (Don’t give up! Don’t ever give up!) I didn’t even get a middle seat either…I got a window. As a rule I’m an aisle-seat sitter all the way (peanut bladder) but there was something nice about being forced to shake it up and I enjoyed the sunny skies and ocean views along the coast. (Short flight helped too—I knew I could make it. 🤣🤣🤣).
Needless to say the “leisurely” morning I had planned for myself went right out the window and along with it any chance of getting this bit together at the customary early-morning hour. Now that I’m in my Uber and heading home to work, I’ve got some breathing space.
So away we go…but first let me get to couple of important matters before I get to the other stuff.
If you’re traveling and haven’t in quite some time, check your wardrobe. Especially if you’re a woman of a certain age…middle-aged shape shifting is real, and losing a little weight no longer means that expecting clothes to fit is reasonable.
Hotel gyms are the worst. Yesterday I walked in behind a guy wearing boots. He ran on the treadmill and it sounded like he was leading a Guinness Book of World Records clogging event. Also, if you are wondering…if you pass gas while working out and wearing headphones it still makes a sound…and it smells. Don’t just sit there pedaling the recumbent bike while you read your WSJ and drink your Starbucks as if you didn’t just wreak olfactory havoc on those around you. Be considerate of others. And speaking of being considerate, wipe the equipment down when you’re done.
No good could possibly come of this. It’s a bit blurry because I was walking and trying to make it quick (and undetected).
And now on to the feel-good part of things. Yay!
I went to DC Wednesday morning and was free that night so I made plans to meet up with my adult nephew and college-student niece who live and study in DC for dinner. It was such a great night, we had a fantastic meal at Founding Farmers, and they are awesome humans. They re-remind me why it’s important to have friends in all generations…covering all the angles is the only way to learn, to re-learn, to adjust, to validate. And the thing that I’ve been thinking about is how their generation tends to get a bum rap. I think how they’re broadly characterized and generalized is unfair…they don’t expect life to be handed to them…but rather they’re the “we call bullshit” generation. They have it right. Life is meant to be lived on one’s own terms. We talked about “fatigue,” like “survey fatigue” and “Zoom fatigue.” But that’s not what it is, my nephew told me. It’s fatigue with being paid lip service…people are tired of being asked for input and having it ignored. Don’t ask me what I think and then do what you want. You can’t bait and switch this generation. Zoom fatigue? They don’t mind virtual meetings. They mind when their precious time is misused and abused.
No, they’re not speaking from experience as in “assumed knowledge gained over time,” but they are speaking from their lived experience, and are clear on why and how they want to live. And just because it covers a shorter time span doesn’t make it any less relevant. They’re divorced from unfounded expectation. They’re on to something. Happiness is a precious currency. And they value it. They gave me a lot to think about. And I love them for it.
Speaking of loving people for it, thank you for being here. I hope you have a fantastic weekend spending your happiness currency wisely.
Love you too.
Oh and since I talked about the importance of not ever giving up…so in that spirit how about Tiger Woods going after that green jacket with, well, the eye of the tiger? Get after it!
(With apologies for any typos or wonky sentences, because I’m writing to you from the back seat of an Uber. Happy Friday!) Repeat: love you too!
Quite amazing you could whip that off in the time it takes to uber from Logan to Weymouth!