Life is about the little things

As Americans, we tend to be driven and motivated to accomplish our goals and to live up to the expectations that are set for us at an early age. As a result, we tend to take less time off than just about any other society.

I know that if I don’t take time for myself and for my family, that I experience burnout. This can lead to many effects including a lowered attention to things going on around me. From a safety perspective, this can be a really big deal and statistically, accidents are more likely to occur just before and just after a weekend. This is the time when workers are least attentive to what is going on around them.

To prevent burnout and to live a bit, I recently took my 17-year-old son fishing on a river for the first time. We floated about nine river miles in a drift boat with a fishing guide, looking for chinook salmon. My son had the hot hand and landed three fish, the third and final fish giving him a nine-minute fight. The smile on his face after landing each of those fish, especially the last one was enough fuel for me to feel energized and ready to take on the world again.

Sometimes the little things matter most and all of us need to find a way to get away from the day-to-day. Not only does our mental health rely on it, so does our physical health and safety.