There is this notion of “being a grown-up” – meaning you cannot embark on spontaneous adventures and have fun in any other way than the grown-up way. This means arranging your 1 vacation a year, 6 months in advance.. Buying a condo at 25 to demonstrate your success in life.. Owning a car you cannot afford.. Tying yourself down to satisfy someone else’s expectations of how a “life well lived” should be.

It’s kind of funny to think that everything we do, and the reason for us feeling the need to be responsible, is to secure a future. But our future, in this case meaning our kids, will not be impressed with us working hard at the bank from 9 to 5 every day, including weekends and statutory holidays. Kids will be more impressed if they saw pictures of their parents exploring the world, hiking up incredible mountains and snorkeling in the most beautiful coral reefs. They won’t care that you drove a 2009 Honda Civic in 2008 – because 2008 will be ancient history for them.. But a youthful spirit in a parent who is adventurous, now that is something cool.

I think that those who work very hard deserve to play hard – and do so in whatever way fulfills them most. We are only responsible to ourselves, no one else.