I’m relaxed right now. That says a lot about how I spent my summer. We rested—and it reminded me of something important about generosity.
Resting honestly was not an easy decision. I usually joke with friends and like to say, “the juggle is real.”
With my two very active and athletic young boys, we are on the go for play-dates and sports practices after school. And I mean all the sports: soccer, basketball, baseball, flag football…
This summer took us to Germany, Maine, and Pennsylvania. Each had its own rhythms.
And somewhere in all that resting, I was reminded that living generously isn’t always about doing more. Sometimes it’s about slowing down enough to give our time and attention to the people right in front of us.
Germany gave me the gifts of experiencing another culture, learning (slowly) foreign languages, new scenes of nature, and lots of World Cup soccer.
It was a summer filled with soccer–which was wonderful for all of us, since that’s how our family bonds–playing soccer, watching soccer, talking about soccer, collecting soccer cards–and this summer, opening up packs of sticker cards to add to the World Cup sticker collection.
Acadia was lovely–a beautiful landscape that I hadn’t seen since I was a child. My playful pup Lily loved the ocean and being spoiled by her Meme. We biked, hiked, swam, and ate lobster, of course!
Pennsylvania always brings the peace and joys of childhood back to me. As I drove the small and winding roads in the Poconos, I pondered how I truly never thought about traveling these roads with my own children all those years later.
Scattered between the four weeks of vacation were several day camps: soccer (x3), farm camp, and Vacation Bible Camp. Those highlights for the kids included learning about Jesus, cuddling with baby bunnies, and getting signatures from professional New England Revolution soccer players.
The theme of the summer was definitely rest—slowing down and enjoying the time. I remember something one of my podcast guests, Paul Ott, shared with me in episode 10. He often hears people say, “Well, I’ve got a few hours to kill.” His response? “Why would you kill time? It’s such a gift. You’ve got to spend time.”
In the episode, Paul went on to share an analogy that I’d never heard before: Imagine waking up every morning with $86,400 in a bank account—just as we’re given 86,400 seconds each day. There’s no carrying the balance into tomorrow. We simply get to decide how we’ll spend today’s gift.
Yes, time is truly a gift. And the older I get, the more I realize just how quickly it passes—and how intentional I want to be about how I spend it.
When we hear the word philanthropy, we often think about charitable donations. But generosity is much bigger than money. We can give our skills, encouragement, attention, compassion—and our time. Sometimes the most meaningful gift we can offer another person is simply our presence.
Three Lessons About Living Generously and Living Well
1. Rest isn’t wasted time.
Okay, so we biked, hiked, fished, and swam—but time seemed to slow down. The phones were off. We played games. We ate meals together. No work was done. And that was the point.
2. Nature has a way of restoring us.
Germans don’t mind walking in the rain. It used to annoy me when my in-laws asked me to join them for a rainy walk. I’m starting to embrace it. Using all my senses to experience the world around me—the rain, the air, the sounds, the scenery—is invigorating.
3. Being present with the people we love is time well spent.
Family, friends, “framily”—they are my people. And it’s truly such a gift to have them. We don’t know how much time we’ll have together, which makes being present for the time we do have even more important.
Maybe that’s what living generously and living well really looks like—not filling every available minute, but learning to spend our time on what matters most.
Take a moment to consider: What did this summer remind you about how you want to spend your time?
Want to give generously while taking care of yourself, too?
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About Jenn Klein
Jenn Klein, CFRE, is a health coach, author, and founder of You Are A Philanthropist. Her work explores the connection between generosity, health, happiness, and living with purpose.