I know a few people in my life that are always on the go. They got shit to do. They want to be efficient and productive. If they don’t have an itinerary to follow, they get anxious. It’s like the Hounds of Hell are nipping and chasing at their heels.

Don’t get me wrong, I get it. I prefer to be productive and doing things instead of lying around like a lazy piece of shit.

I also know that while being productive and on the go can be a good thing, I also know that you end up burning the candle at both ends.

If that sense of urgency to do shit, to be productive, is really the Hounds chasing you, were you diagnosed with some terminal illness? Do you know something I don’t? I understand that our time here on the planet is in fact, limited. We will all leave here someday. No one here gets out alive.

At the same time, I’ve tried burning the candle at both ends, and I just can’t do it for extended periods of time. I burn out. I get fatigued and exhausted. And I lose focus on the bigger picture.

What is the bigger picture? I’m glad you asked. It’s going to be different for everyone, but the bigger picture for me is the time that I get to spend with those that I cherish.

I’ve traveled quite a bit over the years and I’ve seen a lot of places and things. I’ve definitely bought the T-shirt. You know the one: Been there, done that, bought the T-shirt. In all of the places I’ve been, with all the things I’ve seen, only one thing really has mattered to me over time.

It’s not where I’ve been or where I’m going. It’s not seeing this place, that thing, or the other thing. It’s who I’ve spent my time with that matters the most.

I would rather sit next to a fire, smoke a great cigar while sipping scotch, talking philosophy with good friends than hike the Grand Canyon by myself.

I would rather ride my motorcycle next to a couple Brothers, flying down the highway, feeling the wind on my face as we ride side by side than hike another goddamn mountain to see yet another goddamn peak, to look down into another goddamn valley just to say that I hiked up there and looked down there. The top of a mountain is overrated anyways. Same shit up there. Rocks and probably snow. And it’s cold.

I’m not against hiking or doing anything. It’s just that I would rather spend time relaxing and talking about taking over the world with good people, close friends, than hike for the sake of hiking.

At the end of your life, it’ll be the memories of the people that you did stuff with, that you talked to, that you shared a moment with, that will matter most. It’s not going to be that monument you saw in some national park somewhere. It won’t be the plane flight that you took to bumfuck Egypt, unless you met your mate on that flight.

It’s about the people in your life that matter most. It’s those memories and those experiences that will mean the most to you at the end of your days. Not how many miles you logged while backpacking across Europe.

Sometimes it’s okay to slow down and just relax. You don’t always need to be on the go, to be doing shit. Sometimes the best itinerary is no itinerary at all.

Like the tired old cliche goes: Slow down and smell the flowers. Or something like that. Or in my case, sit down, drink some scotch, smoke a good cigar while talking to close friends about everything and nothing at all.

You can take over the world and be the whirlwind that you are tomorrow. While we all have to leave this world eventually, and we will all leave it sooner than we think, I do think that for the most part, you and I will both still be here tomorrow.

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