As a human being, I consider myself typical.

From my earlier recollection, I was always in a hurry to grow up, get out there and take on the world. In elementary school, I couldn’t wait to get to high school (I attended school back in the day when Elementary grades were 1-8. Yes, shortly after the earth cooled) I had a blast in high school, playing basketball, falling in love, going through all those things teenagers go through and then, I couldn’t wait to go off to college. Again, those really were some of the best years of my life; if I had only realized it at the time. Nope, I was in a hurry to get to the next level. To go out in that big, beautiful world, start building a career and making my fortune.

Hindsight is quick to point out that, if I was hoping to make a fortune, I probably shouldn’t have chosen radio.

But sure enough, off I went. After interning at KING-AM the final two quarters of my college days, I headed east of the mountains, took those almost four years of college at a cost of around $20,000 (thanks mom and dad) and landed my first radio job. Yep, a full-time position, doing afternoons, making commercials, living my radio dream for a whopping $350 a month to start. If I worked out and stayed for three months, it went up to $375!

Of course, I almost immediately started dreaming about getting to a bigger market. I had looked at Salem, Oregon, but that was more of a lateral move. I didn’t really want to go any further east, as in Spokane, and in just shy of three years in Yakima, the “Palm Springs of Washington”, I took a job as Larry Nelson’s producer at KOMO-radio in Seattle. I had made it to the big time.

But I wanted more. First, a starter home, then wanting a bigger home for having kids. We somehow pulled off the kid thing, while the radio career slowly grew to as much as you possibly hope for, only to have it blow up. And there I was, in a way, starting over.

There was no radio work to be had, so I expanded my skills and become a copywriter at an ad agency. The longer I stayed there, the more skills I picked up. All the while, I was looking for the elusive “What’s next?” and, eventually, I realized doing the things I love to do was the job. There really wasn’t really a single job that included all those things, so I spun off and took a big swing, doing what I call my “career salad.” And for the past coming on 9 years, I’ve been living that dream.

Every workday of my life is different. I need to do a project for this client, a comedy client needs some jokes, oops, it’s another month–that means writing a hundred or so social media posts for clients. There’s video work, voice-over projects, email blasts, newsletters–not all at once, but when I get done with one, others are waiting.

Again, all stuff I enjoy doing and I consider myself blessed to be able to somehow make this all work. But now I find myself at that stage of life where I want to cut back on the amount of stuff I’m doing. Before, I wanted to crank out stuff and then crank out more. That drive is fading, as slowing down is becoming more and more attractive. For most of my life, I’ve gotten so much satisfaction out of amazing people just how much I do.

While sitting out on the deck last night on a cool, almost-summer evening, I sat there sipping my beverage and watching all the birds play in the backyard. It was downright peaceful. It’s also something that I just don’t do enough. Too often, it’s wedge in a TV show I recorded or maybe try to get ahead of the work projects. I was only out on the deck for about an hour, but it seemed longer.

As I sat there, letting my mind wander all over the place, the thought came to me that this is what I should be doing. Not necessarily watching birds but just making my world smaller. I mean, really smaller. Right now, I’m involved with a really big world, and the constant bombardment about everything going on in each of our individual worlds takes a toll. You find yourself absorbed in the local or national news, followed by learning more than you ever wanted to know about people in your Facebook or Instagram feeds. Or Twitter, or TikTok or whatever.

So much stimulus.

I can’t possibly be the only person that feels this way. Perhaps that is just part of the learning about life process. We all need to just read that point where we, instead, focus our waking moments on the things that are really important.

I’ve spent the bulk of my life being in a hurry to get to the next big adventure. I think my brain is finally understanding that I need fewer and smaller adventures.

I’ve long abandoned the common philosophy, “I’ll be happy when I get ______.” Because that only lasts until you think you need one more thing to be happy. Oh, I want things, everybody does. But they aren’t what makes me happy.

I’m going to focus on those important things that surround me and try to start doing more of that cliche` “being in the present” stuff. That phrase gets a lot of lip service, but you don’t see many people living it.

67 years into this life, is that the big “ah moment” that has finally dawned on me? Is it really that simple?

I hope so. I’m going to go check on the birds now.

Tim Hunter