My kind of stress curve.

You’ve seen it a hundred times.
A guy plans a big fishing trip or a long weekend camping getaway — the works. Time off approved. Gear packed. Cooler full. He gets out there… and spends half the time talking about work.

It’s almost funny if it weren’t so tragic. We chase peace and drag the noise along for the ride.

But here’s the thing: that bent rod, that bend in the river, that sunrise — that’s the kind of stress curve you want. It’s the one that reminds you you’re alive, not the one that spikes your blood pressure at 2:00 p.m. on a Tuesday.

The point of these trips isn’t just to get away — it’s to be away. To be fully present with the people who matter, doing something that matters absolutely not at all. That’s the beauty of it. You won’t remember the email you sent last week. But you’ll remember the fish you lost, the campfire that wouldn’t start, the laugh that came out of nowhere.

When you’re at a party, which story are you going to tell — the one about work, or the one about the time you almost fell out of the boat with your best friend laughing?

Yeah. That’s your kind of stress curve.