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OP #306: Taking Time For Yourself

OP #306: Taking Time For Yourself

Darren Herman
September 02, 2025

It’s September. Crazy. August 5 was the last OP letter before the summer siesta… and while I missed you all, I enjoyed a bit of R&R. With that said, this summer was anything but R&R… I felt like I only really had about 2 weeks worth of “summer” as I’ve historically defined it. The rest of the time was running full speed, in office or on airplane, being typical Darren. Was this similar to your summers or were you able to feel a bit of the slow down?

Personally, three things happened in August that I really enjoyed:

I went to see Oasis in Chicago. I made a pact with myself to go see shows of bands I like because you never know what tomorrow may bring. I was a fan of Oasis in the 90s but never got a chance to see them. I told myself during the Pandemic that if they ever got back together, I’d go and see them. While they didn’t have a tour stop in Boston, Chicago wasn’t far and worked for my schedule. I got a chance to have lunch with a friend, Jeff, for our annual Joes Stone Crab, and I went to the show alone as school was starting back up and Sherri had to be home to get one of our teens out the door. The show was fantastic. I go in and out of “favorite” songs by Oasis but right now, it’s probably Acquiesce which was the second song of the set. For pics and more on this story, check out my Instagram.

Lunch with Jeff in Chicago

We got some family time on Cape Cod. Growing up in New York, we never explored Cape Cod, but now that we live in Boston, it’s +/- 2 hours to Chatham. My folks and brother's family joined us and we had a great time sans the effects of the hurricane that kept us off the ocean for the trip. Oh well. I did get to hit Chatham Works for my daily gym session as well as, meet up with Waseem, a loyal OP reader and expansive thinker, for some incredible coffee (well, iced tea) at an incredible (non-Cape feeling) place called Three Fins Coffee Roasters which he introduced me to.

Coffee with Waseem @ Three Fins Coffee / Chatham, MA

Rekindled my love of photography. I’m not particularly good but I enjoy photography and like a little creativity in my life. I purchased a mirrorless camera this year, a Sony a6700 and a few lenses and have been enjoying everything from landscape, to portrait, to product photography. I brought my rig down to the Cape and enjoyed shooting on and around the beach as well, as, have been using it around the home and the park just behind our home, 15-miles west of Boston. I joined an enthusiast Instagram and Facebook group and have learned through trial & error… with the community giving me feedback along the way. While in the gym, I also have watched a ton of YouTube videos on photography and Lightroom and have found That Icelandic Guy to be an incredible source of tips and tricks.

Bridge to Dunes © Darren Herman 2025 / Chatham, MA

I’m not sure if you noticed the lead photograph in this OP letter: the kid in the red shirt on his fathers shoulders watching the Oasis concert. I was probably 200 feet away from this kid but was able to shoot this photo on my iPhone 16 Pro Max. I think this might be my favorite photograph of the summer. I loved how much the kid enjoyed the show, in awe of the band, the lights, the crowd. The love of his father for hoisting him on his shoulders for 2 hours (he’s a better dad than me!), the crowd looking at him, and welcoming him. Everything about this captures “the next generation” of music fans… this kid will be an Oasis fan for life and hopefully he passes this love of live music down to his children one day.

Reflecting back at this, I have balanced doing things for others alongside doing things for myself. I am the least selfish person in the world, but do believe that time for yourself is important and often something that goes overlooked. Going to Chicago to see Oasis, going to the gym each day, and spending time with photography made the summer fulfilling.

I did manage to read a bunch this summer and will use this OP to help share some of those stories.

I thought about categorizing the links and stories. If I did categorize them, you’d skip to the categories that you’re interested in and skip the ones you’re not. That’s efficient and effective.

With that said, it may be too efficient and effective and you may miss what makes the OP special…

So, I didn’t categorize them. Feel free to read something that isn’t in your typical bullseye. I challenge you to read a few links that are outside your comfort zone. I promise it wont hurt.

Before I put all of the links, my friend Katherine who works at MIT’s The Engine is hiring a Manager of Partnerships & Sponsorships. For those who know Katherine, she’s ex-Ideo and an incredible human. I had the chance to work with her (on Michaels Arts & Crafts) as well, as see a music show with her (OAR). She’s a ton of fun to be around and I highly recommend working with her if you have a chance.

Oh, no AI here… 100% written by me as evidenced by the tone, voice, spelling mistakes, and grammatical errors. It’s human - real. And me.

As always, please reach out with any questions, comments, and feedback. Lets all close out this year strong!

Be well, do good.
Darren