![\"stoptrain\"](\"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/gregoryng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/stoptrain.jpg\")
<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
![\"mini_divider\"](\"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/gregoryng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/mini_divider.jpg\")
\n
<\/p>\nIt started a little over a year ago. It was a new feeling. A feeling like my priorities were out of order and I was running out of time to do the things I set out to do in my life. I came to this realization, ironically, while I was running. It happened on an early evening run in August of 2014. I was listening to one of my running playlists compiled specifically for a solid 9:00 mile pace. Then the John Mayer song, “Stop This Train”<\/a> came on and I found myself almost on the verge of tears.<\/p>\n I have listened to this song many, many times and I always interpreted the lyrics to mean someone living with regret of the things they did not do. But in this particular night, I interpreted a different way: Time moves fast and if you aren\u2019t careful, you will look back and realize you were just on the train instead of enjoying the ride.<\/p>\n I had finally realized what was keeping me up at night: I had lost my zest for the moment, my intensity in my job, my fire in the world. And when you wipe away all of that conceptual stuff I just wrote it boiled down to this: I needed to spend more time with my kids because the next thing you know, they will be out of the house. I needed to spend more time with my wife because these are the able-bodied years when we can truly enjoy ourselves together. I needed to discover new challenges at work because my fulfillment during the day sets the right example for my children. And I needed to spend more time with my parents because they are advancing in age and I want to savor every moment that I have with them.<\/p>\n Since that August evening I have made some serious changes. In this post I want to explain the ones most significant to me in hopes it may inspire you to do the same.<\/p>\n I have spent a bunch of time talking about some of the reasons I quit Freezerburns<\/a> but in the year since I stopped producing my daily show I have realized the main reason for ending the show. I may not have known it at the time but I know it now: I have my evenings back. For 6 years I spent most evenings shooting, editing, and publishing content after the kids went to bed. And while I never felt like my show prevented me from missing the major moments like recitals, soccer games, and movie nights, it did prevent me from some of the more mundane but super meaningful moments. In the last 12 months I have had time and energy to lay in bed next to my son and talk about his day before he fell asleep. Or work on a project with my other son. Or sit in my daughter\u2019s room and just chat about trivial things that mean the world to her. I miss the Freezerburns community I built and cultivated and I certainly miss the extra income my show generated. But I would never go back if it meant missing these special moments I enjoy every day.<\/p>\n I have always considered our family one that travels. We have a lot of friends and family that go to the same place to vacation every summer and that works for them. But for me, I don\u2019t want to see the same things over and over again. Last fall my family decided to set a goal to visit 100 National Park sites by 2020<\/a>. If you have read this blog for awhile you may have noticed I have been talking quite a bit lately about the National Park Service. My family and I love the history, natural beauty, exercise, and education we get from visiting National Parks. In the last year we have made trips to 11 states<\/a> and Washington D.C.<\/a> and have visited over 30 National Park sites in the process. This goal has been great for our family because we have learned so much about America\u2019s history and natural beauty while spending quality time together. My favorite moments have been the hikes we\u2019ve taken, the pictures we\u2019ve shot, and the funny moments along the way. We are constantly planning our next adventures. For 2016 we have already planned a trip to the Everglades in Florida in March, National Parks in Alaska in July, and various National Parks in Washington state including Mt Rainier and Olympic National Park!<\/p>\n I\u2019m not sure if it is the fact that I turned 40 this year or the fact that my dad retired this year or the fact that my daughter turned 13 this year but I have spent a lot of time thinking about generations and mortality and legacy and all of those things that go along with getting and feeling old. I was very fortunate to attend and speak at my dad\u2019s retirement celebration in June<\/a> and got to spend an extended weekend with my parents. I also got to take my daughter with me to San Francisco and one of the times I value the most was having breakfast with my mom and my daughter downtown. It\u2019s amazing to me that for all the times that we spend planning big events, it is sometimes the small events that mean the most. In July, my dad joined my family and I on our vacation and it was the best thing ever. I feel truly blessed to have the memories of my kids hanging out with my dad in front of some of the most magnificent natural wonders in the world, the Grand Canyon. And it doesn\u2019t end here. My dad\u2019s retirement this year means that we will get to spend Christmas morning with my parents which hasn\u2019t happened in over 14 years (and never in my kids\u2019 lifetime). And then in February, I will be traveling to Nagaland, India on a mission trip with my parents. Finally, in July, my parents will be traveling with my family to Alaska and Washington state! I am so excited to have these opportunities to hang out with my parents.<\/p>\n
\n
\nI want to get off and go home again
\nI can’t take the speed it’s moving in
\nI know I can’t
\nBut, honestly, won’t someone stop this train?<\/em><\/center>
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\nI don’t want to see my parents go
\nOne generation’s length away
\nFrom fighting life out on my own<\/em><\/center>
\n<\/p>\n
\n
\nI’m only good at being young
\nSo I play the numbers game
\nTo find a way to say that life has just begun<\/em><\/center>
\n<\/p>\n![\"unhealthy-kids-meal-angers-freezerburns-food-host\"](\"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/gregoryng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/unhealthy-kids-meal-angers-freezerburns-food-host.jpg\")
<\/p>\n1. I quit my videoblog and am taking back my evenings<\/h1>\n
\n
\nSaid, “Help me understand”
\nHe said, “Turn sixty-eight
\nYou’ll renegotiate”<\/em><\/center>
\n<\/p>\n![\"11903911_10153310893693600_3513642845010620452_n\"](\"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/gregoryng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/11903911_10153310893693600_3513642845010620452_n.jpg\")
<\/p>\n2. I am prioritizing family travel and the experiences it brings with it<\/h1>\n
\n
\nDon’t for a minute change the place you’re in
\nAnd don’t think I couldn’t ever understand
\nI tried my hand
\nHonestly, we’ll never stop this train”<\/em><\/center>
\n<\/p>\n![\"11209774_10153181873648600_4994199024979748987_n\"](\"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/gregoryng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/11209774_10153181873648600_4994199024979748987_n.jpg\")
<\/p>\n3. I am taking advantage of my time with my parents<\/h1>\n
\n
\nIt’ll feel like it should
\nWhen you’re all still around
\nAnd you’re still safe and sound
\nAnd you don’t miss a thing
\n‘Till you cry when you’re driving away in the dark<\/em><\/center>
\n<\/p>\n![\"11811392_10153285952778600_5205728984965457575_n\"](\"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/gregoryng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/11811392_10153285952778600_5205728984965457575_n.jpg\")
<\/p>\n4. I got creative again.<\/h1>\n
![\"gregory_Ng-Clicksummit\"](\"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/gregoryng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/gregory_Ng-Clicksummit.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"today\"](\"https:\/\/followgreg.com\/gregoryng\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/today.jpg\")
<\/p>\n