86,400 Seconds

You have 86,400 seconds today – what are you going to do with it?

Chances are you aren’t giving birth to the next royal baby today.  As of the writing of this blog, Catherine Duchess of Cambridge is in labor.  The duchess and Prince William are anxiously awaiting the birth of their child.  And even though today may not necessarily be a red-letter day for you, you have the same 86,400 seconds at hand as do the duchess and the prince.  Make the best of it.

Today in history, there were some notorious events.  Ten years ago today, U.S. Army Private Jessica Lynch was rescued from an Iraqi hospital.  She was a 19 year old supply clerk who was captured by Iraqi forces in March of that same year.  Twenty years ago on this date, a levee broke at Kaskaskia, Illinois that had been holding back the Mississippi River, leaving the entire town underwater.   In 1991 Jeffrey Dahmer was arrested after police discovered human remains in his home.  July 22, 1942 is recognized as the initial date of the Holocaust.  181 years ago on this date Napoleon II, Emperor of the French and King of Rome died.

Will you do anything today that will be remembered in years to come?  If so, please make it something positive…the world doesn’t need any more POWs, Dahmer’s, broken levees, or Holocausts.  Perhaps today is the day that you will make a momentous speech or make an amazing discovery.  Or maybe, it will be a day to spend with the family.

This time of year is traditionally when Americans take family vacations.  91% of kids who were polled after their family vacation said that their vacation gave them more time with their parents.  If you are a parent, this should really hit home.  It’s not so much about the destination as it is about time spent together.  Another interesting tidbit is that the top three activities that interest children on vacations are pool time, playing at the beach, and land sports like biking or mini-golf.

What this tells me is that a family vacation doesn’t necessarily have to be about spending a lot of money.  It’s about spending 86,400 seconds one-on-one with your kids.  And to make them happiest, spend it at the water or riding bikes together.  During the financial crisis of 2007-2010, staycations gained popularity.  Families learned that they could take a break together and not spend a lot of money.  You can go to the city pool, ride bikes together, play backyard games together, or take a drive to the beach—if it is close.

And if you do want to get out and travel a bit, consider going by train.  Everyone can relax together and enjoy the ride.  You’ll probably never hear, “are we there yet?” when traveling down the rails as a family.  It’s an adventure in itself.  And please, leave behind the portable DVD players—kids need to learn to enjoy our beautiful country.  There is so much to see and a vacation is not a time to entertain them with yet another movie.

When my children were ages 3 and 4, I spent a great deal more money than I could truly afford to take them to Disneyland.  I was newly divorced and I needed a break.  I thought it would be fun for all of us—and it was fun at the time.  But now that my children are grown, they tell me they don’t remember being at Disneyland at all.  Well, that’s not quite true; my son does remember having nightmares about the scary pirates!  Even though it was an extravagant adventure, it was over 600,000 seconds that we spent together as a family—and I still believe it was well worth the cost.

My brother and his family just returned from a family vacation.  They drove several hundred miles together to get to a tourist trap of a town.  They saw an entertaining show, and went to an amusement park, but the thing the kids enjoyed the most was playing in the pool at the hotel.  They could have saved a lot of those precious 86,400 seconds and stayed near to home and spent more quality time together.  I’m not saying that you should never get out and about and see the world.  Far from it; experiences together while traveling are some of the best memories.  But if you are watching your pennies and time, consider a staycation this year.  Spend all 86,400 of your seconds enjoying the family—not stuck in traffic.

But there is one caution.  At the stroke of midnight, your 86,400 seconds expire—no extensions allowed.  Spend them wisely.