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Other Kinds of “Gold”

Last month we considered what a poor investment gold has been for many frightened investors. This month, the news remains all too familiar: Europe in crisis, markets in turmoil and our economy languidly stuck in the doldrums. What a snore. Aren’t you sick of bad news? I know I am. But there are other kinds of “gold” in the world and let’s spend a little time remembering how valuable these other types can be.

In a few weeks the Olympic Games will convene in London, UK – now we’re talking REAL gold! Athletes from around the world will compete in a wide array of sports, some of which we ordinary folks enjoy recreationally. My family enjoys mountain biking in western New York but did you know this is now an Olympic sport? I have no plans to ride the way those people ride but advanced “helmet cams” now put me practically in the saddle. We also swim and swat badminton birdies around - but not like the competitors you’ll see at these events.

Every four years when this event rolls around I am astonished by the commitment it takes to compete at this level. Four years of blood, sweat and tears, all in the hope that when it really counts, you’ll be able to summon your best. One competitor will achieve that goal; their country will cheer and the whole world will notice. But the majority won’t and those are the people who amaze me the most. I find their single-minded pursuit of this goal extremely uplifting, no matter where they finish. No manufactured “reality” television can remotely compare to the authentic drama and incredible show put on by these elite athletes.

This time of year offers another kind of precious “gold”: the golden time of summer vacation. Whether you head out on a carefully planned three-week road trip or can only string together a few long weekends, it is vital that you put your work down at least a few times during the summer to recharge and refresh.

During the summer, you just need to shift into neutral for a time. Get lost in a book for an afternoon, stroll on the beach, or take a walk down a peaceful country lane. Quiet activities seem harder and harder to come by with the e-world literally on our hip every day, but the more pervasive such noise and pressures become, the more important it is that we create “away time”.

Some people surrender into the comfort of long-practiced routines. I have become a baseball fan of late. I’m not the energetic kind of a fan who quotes statistics or can discuss the greatest pitchers of the past decade, but I enjoy the game and love that there is no clock in baseball. And I like how the rules have remained essentially unchanged for decades. Indeed, in the long, slow, hot summers of my grandfather’s youth, I know that he too passed the time watching and listening to the same sights and sounds that I and my kids experience today.

Others just can’t stand routine. Summer is their time to break out and try new things.
Feeling adventurous? Try summer camps for adults; why should the kids have all the fun? You can learn to jam at Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp, perfect your backhand at Tennis Camp, skate with Dorothy Hamill at Ice Skating Camp or even prepare for the apocalypse at Zombie Training Camp (no really, look it up).

Whether you ease up or go all out in your chosen recreation, be sure that you do indeed “re-create” this summer. Curiously, the world becomes a lot more manageable after a few days’ immersion in diversion.

And finally, with any luck, when your summer break is over, I hope you get to return to the kind of long-lasting and deeply satisfying “gold” that I get to return to: my work. Yes, I am one of the lucky ones who actually enjoys what he does for a living. While I certainly have my share of challenging days, most days I simply can’t wait to get to work.

And this is because I know I make a difference in people’s lives. No one is inviting me to step to the top of any podiums and my results are not measured in hundredths of a second. But I would contend that my work is measured in a much more important unit of time: decades. When I’ve been given the chance to do my job right, I go home knowing that I have helped extract people from an expensive and stressful dispute and secured a badly injured person’s financial future for decades to come, often for life.

So when the Olympic Games officially open in London and you hear those stirring opening tones of Aaron Copland’s “Fanfare for the Common Man”, think of me back in my office: earbuds in place, iPod fired up, privately playing the same song to myself - Emerson Lake and Palmer version of course! (1)

“Going for the gold” to craft a durable settlement that will serve all parties? Call Frank C. Kilcoyne CSSC at 800-544-5533, I am here to help.

 

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(1) Click HERE for YouTube link