Every Sunday, I sit down with my planner and map out the week. Workouts on Monday, Tuesday, Friday. Coffee with a friend on Saturday. Podcast recording Friday. Campfire Conversation on Tuesday.

A good, solid plan.

Then real life showed up.

We decided—spur of the moment—to take the kids to see my parents. And the minute we pulled into the driveway, my dad uttered the phrase that has derailed more of my plans than anything else in life:

“So… what are you doing tomorrow?”

(The correct answer, I’ve learned, is “why do you ask?”)

Twenty-four hours later I would be on my knees laying tile in my sister’s bathroom, watching my beautifully crafted weekly plan go up in flames. I grumbled the whole way to Walmart while the kids hung out with their grandparents. I was irritated. Annoyed. Frustrated that my “perfect week” was no longer perfect.

Then—because kids have a sixth sense for cutting right through your nonsense—my daughter hit me with this at dinner:

“Dad, are you going to be hanging out with Poppy all day tomorrow?”

“Yeah,” I said.

“Do you like hanging out with Poppy?”

Cue the gut punch.

I told her, “Let me ask you something: if Mom wanted to spend the whole day with you tomorrow, would you like that?”

Her face lit up.

“YES! Because Mom is awesome!”

There it was.

My frustration evaporated. My plan wasn’t ruined—it was replaced by something better. Something more meaningful. Something I’ll remember long after the workouts and to-dos fade away.

And that’s when it hit me:

Just because you have a plan doesn’t mean it’s the right plan.

Sometimes the interruption is the assignment.

Sometimes the “ruin” is the real gift.

Sometimes the week you didn’t plan becomes the week you needed.

And sometimes the best thing you can do is say yes to the people who want your time—because one day, they might stop asking.

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Doing the right thing rarely comes with full confidence—it comes with responsibility.

Written after Pausch was told he had months to live, this book isn’t about death—it’s about how to live when time isn’t simply running out, but when time is up. A clear-eyed reflection on family, purpose, and what actually matters when the clock is no longer theoretical.

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Until next time—
🔥Keep the fires burning,
— Clay

P.S. I’d rather grow Campfire Gentleman through real connections than algorithms.
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