No one ever really thinks too hard about this, (except maybe me) but every year on or around June 21st, in the Northern Hemisphere, we get the highest number of hours of daylight. A lot of people don’t think about it, because it’s too early in the summer to think about it. Some kids are just getting out of school and some people are just beginning to think about their summer vacations. Others are starting to go to football practice and others might be looking towards Independence Day as the true “beginning of summer”.

I think of the first day of summer as our gradual descent into darkness. I think about it, because I know by the time we get to July 4th, we’ve already lost about a half an hour of daylight. It sneaks up on you, and by the middle of August, if it wasn’t for the horrifically hot weather, you would barely think it was summertime anymore.

On the opposite side of the coin, most people would be super depressed if December 21st wasn’t a few days before Christmas, because that day is considered the shortest day of the year. But what most people don’t take into consideration is that from that moment forth, we’re getting more sunlight.

Some people that are like June 21st. Or July 4th. Or December 25th. Or the super obnoxious lights in my workplace. They shine bright, love the spotlight, and enjoy the stage. They love caffeine and talking loudly and are the life of the party. They love start-up companies, movie premieres, product launches and fireworks. They like cloudless sunny days, cameras and attention.

Those people are necessary, I suppose. We might not make huge leaps in innovation without them. Life would be pretty gray if it wasn’t for movie stars, attention getters, energy monsters, party starters, and company builders. But these flashes of light always burn out faster. They are the Marilyn Monroes, Elvis Presley’s, the Titanics, the Beanie Babies and the DeLorean’s. They made a huge splash, and burned brightly, but came to a crashing halt.

That’s the thing about big, bright stars. The lightbulbs that shine the brightest fade the fastest. They can make tons of money, but they are just as likely to lose it all just as fast. On the other side of the spectrum, are people like me, the pilot lights. The pilot light burns slowly in background. The bright, shining superstars need pilot lights in the background to get all the actual work done. They constantly support the big star, always there to pick up the slack in other areas, and consistent, steady. We have a low burn, but we’re there. Stars don’t usually notice the pilot lights until they go out.

I’m a pilot light. In my school days, I missed maybe 4 days due to illness. In my career, I’ve missed maybe 4 days due to illness. I’ve only ever been late due to sleeping in, 2 or 3 days. If I’m gone, people knew it. When I’m gone, people start to panic. One time when I didn’t show up on time to work and didn’t call, my co-workers and boss were calling police, fire and medical people to find out where I died.

As soon as I started this blog, I hadn’t missed writing at least one post a week until I lost my blog for six months. I started a new blog just because I needed to write once a week. When I started writing the first draft of my book, I wrote a little each day at lunch 4 days a week, for over 2 years, but I completed the first draft.

15 years later, I’m still working on that book. It will be finished someday. I don’t know when, and I don’t know where it will be published. I don’t know if it will be a big publisher, small publisher, or a me publisher, but it will be published. My parents and my wife might be the only ones to ever read it, but it will be read by someone else. I know that, because I know me.

I’m a pilot light. I work for companies for a long time. I stay married to the same woman for 23 years. I write in blogs once a week for over 10 years. I exercise 4-5 times a week. I’ve been a fan of the Spurs for 33 years. I play the same video game for 5 years. And I keep having birthdays once a year.

I’m not a DeLorean, an Elvis, or a Titanic. I’m going to burn out someday just like everyone else. When that day comes, I’ll just have my kids prop me up on the couch, and place a remote control next to me, so I can watch TV and play videos games until my pilot light fades slowly to black.

Before my pilot light goes out, I’ll turn my blog over to my daughter and teach her the ways of the Bitter Friday Giftures…

Some people…

Like some people that are excited…

The reason why some people love the first day of summer…

I just look at the first day of summer…

Many people are like the first day of summer…

They want to grab…

And make…

And be in front…

And then there are “the others”…

The pilot lights…

I just want to be…

Just grinding away…

Doing the same thing…

Until one day…

ARRRGGGGHHHHH

Bitter Pilot Light Ben