By Gavin Boyle
While wading through the busyness of life, a message from his parents reminded Mike Rowe of what truly matters.
“What we have here is my 92-year-old father, rising to greet the day somewhere on the Chesapeake Bay. He and my mother are on a local cruise, visiting museums up and down the Eastern Shore, making new friends, and living their best life,” Rowe shared on Facebook alongside a photo of his dad. “Given my limited time on this very hectic morning, I think this is probably the best image to share with you. The image of a man in his underwear, standing proudly at the rail of a mighty ship, enjoying the world unfolding before him as a cool breeze ruffles what’s left of his hair. I mean, really. What could be more important than that?”
While Rowe is known for promoting the value of hard work, he also encourages people to find value in their lives elsewhere as well. Whether it be through friends, family or hobbies, Rowe is adamant that a healthy life cannot solely revolve around work.
“The road we take in pursuit of what we’ll call job satisfaction; that’s changed,” Rowe previously said. “There was a time when people who were happy in their work didn’t start their quest for happiness by trying to identify the approximate cause of their bliss.”
“We’ve told a whole generation of kids that your happiness depends on what you do, not who you are, and we’ve given them a road map that takes them right off a cliff,” he continued. “And we’ve encouraged them, for their trouble, to borrow more money than they’ll ever be able to pay back — money, by the way, that we can’t even afford to lend them. To train them for jobs that don’t exist anymore. Everything is backwards.”
While he remains an advocate for blue collar jobs and promotes them at every opportunity, his perspective on work also allows him to keep his conversations balanced and enjoy his time with others. Whether it be recalling hilarious stories with him mom or swapping childhood tales with Neal McDonough, Rowe is able to enjoy his time on earth because he focuses on the experience, rather than the work.
Related: Mike Rowe Encourages People To Find Identity Outside Of Work
This is a message that many Americans need, as so many of us are work-focused 24/7, rather than giving our work the attention it needs and then allowing ourselves to enjoy life outside of it. Given how much he talks about the state of work in our country, it is refreshing to see Rowe discuss leisure as well and encourage his fans to take a break every once in a while, too.
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