It’s July 1, the midpoint of the calendar year and a few weeks into summer if you follow the lunar year. This has always been a special month in my world, with a birthday coming up, a daughter’s birthday following that, baseball in full swing, shorts and flip flops, vacations and weekend getaways, BBQs in the backyard, and brother Mike setting off a small nation’s supply of fireworks.
Last Thursday I played hooky and went to an afternoon getaway game between the Oakland A’s and Seattle Mariners. I had my first hot dog in a year, a bag of peanuts, a couple of Bud Lights under clear Bay Area skies, about 78 degrees—the A’s lost on a past ball in the ninth, but it was a great day! My bosses, Carmel and Adam, are likely finding out about this at the same time as the rest of you, but I’m not worried. If they ask, I will just tell them, “I really needed the afternoon off…” It doesn’t really matter. They are they type who would encourage time off when necessary.
And I did need the afternoon off. It was time to be good to myself.
That’s my midyear message to the professional audio community: Be good to yourself this summer. And be good to others.
Lord knows, we all need it. The past two-and-a-half years have been a slog, filled with isolation, then reconnection, big highs and low lows, career changes and ongoing uncertainties. Now, as the world opens up more every day, it’s time to recharge, reassess and reassert what we find important in life. Please, take a vacation! Go see a show! Spend a weekend with family and friends!
You may have noticed that the Mix SmartBrief newsletter and Facebook posts weren’t quite as regular this week. That’s because my co-editor and colleague Clive Young, who usually handles our digital efforts with flair and expertise, was on a much-needed week away with his family and the newsletter was left in my hands. Our numbers might drop slightly for the week, but it all turned out okay and nobody got hurt. I’m hoping Clive found the time to relax.
On the 19th, I’ll be heading to northern Ontario, to a couple of cabins on a lake, with my two daughters, Molly and Jesse, their significant others, Nick and John, the grandchildren JoJo and Chase, and Choco, the chocolate lab. No Wi-Fi, no cell service. Just a canoe, a small pontoon boat, and a general store about four miles down the road. I’m so looking forward to the week away. It helps to know that Clive has my back.
Of course, there will be plenty of busy days ahead once I come out of the woods. We have a big Immersive Music Production event on August 6 at Power Station Studios/Berklee NYC, then the annual Mix Presents Sound for Film & Television event at Sony Pictures Studios in late September. Then AES in October… I am ready for all of it! I’m excited to be back in the in-person game.
But in the meantime, I’m taking a moment on July 1, the intermission in the two-set calendar year, to pay attention to my physical and mental health and keep things in balance. My mantra is simple:
Be good to yourself. Be good to others.
P.S. Oh, one more thing. Summer tours are everywhere! I can’t wait to treat myself to some good live music. You should, too!
