I’m back!

Time flies when you are on sabbatical.

Hello, everyone! Has it been three months since I took that much-needed sabbatical?

According to Substack, yes, it was. Thanks for the reminder!

So…how was everyone’s summer? Did we go to any interesting places? Did you get sunburnt? Summer is a time to increase your reading, right? Any recommendations?

As I mentioned back in June, after catching the plague and recovering, my work-life balance was out of whack. To be clear, I define work-life balance differently than the general accepting phrase.

For me, work-life balance really means doing things I like versus doing things I need to do. For example, I wouldn’t say I like balancing my checkbook, but I need to do it because Anonymous needs me to do it. That’s work. I happen to enjoy writing, so writing a few professional articles is something I look forward to. That’s life.

I hope this makes sense.

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The days between June and now were a whirlwind. I accomplished many things, except reading. I read nothing this summer. It’s embarrassing, actually. I’ve picked up a few books, only to put them down, and picked up a different one, only to put it down. I repeated this process until Labor Day weekend and finally gave up.

I did pick up walking long distances and listening to podcasts while I hiked down the National Mall to pass the Lincoln Monument and then headed back home. It’s about five or six miles. This consistent activity and better eating and lifting weights helped me lose over 25 pounds (again). I also caught up on some fascinating history lessons and college football when I wanted to turn my brain off.

Walking was essential to look my best because I completed the most critical work project ever last weekend: Anonymous and I got married.

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Yes, after spending 46 years on this planet, I have finally joined the ranks of being married. I couldn’t be happier because my wife (I now have one of those) is easily the best person on the planet. Ask her how much she read this summer, and she will tell you she started a book club challenge and posts it on Instagram regularly. She must have read 25 books in the past 100 days.

She accomplished this while doing about 95% of the planning and execution of the wedding itself. I couldn’t bother to read one book while I sat trying to get the marriage license, and Anonymous is over here launching a personal literacy project. But she has always been an overachiever. I love that about her. If anything, it motivates me. Not to begin a book challenge, but other stuff. Like maybe I’ll get around to beginning that podcast I’ve talked about constantly.

The wedding week went off without a hitch. I have a fantastic group of family and friends, and having all of them there to celebrate us is a memory I will cherish forever. Almost all of them are avid readers of this blog. (Books too, but mostly this blog).

So I’m back at it. The work-life balance is good—time to shake off the rust.

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First, I’d like to welcome new subscribers I picked up while I was away. I hope you have spent some time reading old material and getting the lay of the land. I’m grateful you are here.

To help refresh everyone’s memory, here’s how Okay History works.

Beginning on Monday, we will be back with Maundy Monday Newsletter, reviewing what happened in the upcoming week in U.S. History. On Friday, I will get back to ranking the states, which, if you are a fan of South Carolina, you might be a bit upset.

Just wait, family and friends from the State of Ohio.

I’m happy to be back. I hope you are happy to have OKH land in your inbox. Life is now being restored, and work can wait.

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Okay,

Chris

Gazing into the beautiful red eyes of my purple-face bride.