The P ublisher Po stulates
K ick back and relax.
That is a lot easier to
say than it is to do.
I don’t know if it is
because there is now more to
do, or if there was always this
much to do, but we just did
not know about it. When
I was growing up, if the
telephone rang, everyone
rushed to answer it, as it
might be an invitation to go
somewhere or do something.
Now, hardly anyone answers their phone
unless they recognize the caller or want
someone to help them with their health
insurance, student loans or credit card
rates. We also used to wait for the
circus to come to town once a year, and
I do not remember many fundraisers
like we have now, when there are top
performers appearing locally on a daily
basis at any number of large-scale venues.
A Friday or Saturday night without four or
five major galas is unheard of nowadays,
as we help support everything from
children to endangered animals. No
one can possibly do it all, and we are all
suffering from a new affliction called Fear
of Missing Out. I feel guilty if I want to
spend a quiet evening at home. Often,
I find myself rushing from one event to
another, clearly trying to do too much. Yet,
at the end of the day, I feel the effort was
worthwhile because of something that was
done or said in the course of each of these
experiences; at times, it is meeting new
and interesting people, other times it is
catching up with old friends whom I miss.
Whatever has made me glad that I did
not stay at home and relax does not always
make me want to keep up a frenetic pace.
I find myself torn between not wanting
to miss anything, and the reality of not
being able to do it all. Fortunately, my
34 TAMPA BAY MAGAZINE | MAY/JUNE 2019
wife and partner Margaret is
as driven as I am, and I get to
share experiences with her.
We rarely go our separate
ways, and we regret it when
we do. We like sharing our
lives. Doing things together
makes things that much
better for both of us.
The dilemma is clearly,
when is too much enough?
It is a line that is as hard to
define as it is to follow. At
times, even when we have decided not
to attend some function or event, we yield
to someone’s pleas to attend and thus
overburden ourselves to such an extent that
we want to say “never again.” But soon
afterward, there we are, overextending
ourselves and loving every minute of it.
Relaxation is fine, but not if I’m going to
miss anything. I guess I don’t need to relax
after all. 9
Publisher / Editor
RELAXATION
By Aaron R. Fodiman
Relaxation for me generally involves some free time and a bad idea
that seems to make sense to me even though I know better.