You Get What You Get

Tuesday night I was taking the trash out when I bumped into my neighbor Jim who asked me how I was doing. Wearing shorting unironically in September I turned to him and said, “I am ready for some fall weather.”

He said, “you know what man, you get what you get” and when back in the house.

I stood there for a second in wonder at his ability to boil down universal truths to the simple syrup of down-home wisdom (which he does often) and thought:

Because here is the thing, is it difficult to enjoy pumpkin spice lattes, infinity scarves and Ugg boots when it is 96 degrees out? Sure. But we get another week of slip n slides, sprinklers, neighbors pools if they are still open, long walks to the park at night, BBQ parties, and you get to keep that tan a bit longer before turning to the tanning booth.

But the real lesson is about energy and your use of it. There is nothing to be gained by shouting at the sun to turn it down or complaining about how hot it is because wisdom is understanding the difference between the things you have control vs. those you do not.

This week has reinforced the idea that you get one trip around and that we should all be a bit more mindful of how we spend those minutes so if you get 7 more days of summer — celebrate it in the same way you will complain when it is snowing next March.

Have a great weekend.