So it's harder this year to concentrate on my birthday with the world on fire in at least six different directions. Election outcomes that feel like reality TV finales, geopolitical tension everywhere one looks, entire economies doing backflips without a safety net… you know, way bigger issues than Lifeguard Jim's birthday.

Instead of focusing on the macro issues of the new world order, maybe target smaller, more accomplishable (Is that even a word?) goals. Here's one:

You see, Lifeguard Jim and his ever-lovely girlfriend Genevieve are trying to go see the Canadian power trio RUSH, in November at the Hard Rock. Yes, that RUSH. The band Rush is known for their virtuosic musicianship, complex compositions, and eclectic lyrical motifs, which drew primarily on science fiction, fantasy, and philosophy. The band's style changed over the years, from a blues-inspired hard rock beginning, later moving into progressive rock, then a period in the 1980s marked by heavy use of synthesizers, before returning to guitar-driven rock in the remainder of their career. The members of Rush have been acknowledged as some of the most proficient players on their respective instruments, with each winning numerous awards in magazine readers' polls in various years.

Unfortunately, tickets cost approximately the same as a kidney transplant. So now you’re faced with a choice as a society. Do you continue pouring energy into things like global conflict, economic recovery, and international relations without the promise of any real change… or do you redirect just a tiny fraction of that attention toward something that will actually improve two people’s lives in a very immediate, very real way?

I think I know your answer. Your donation will go toward helping two hardworking individuals momentarily escape the relentless chaos of modern existence and stand in a crowd of strangers, collectively pretending everything is fine while Alex Lifeson's guitar and Geddy's bass solos heal what the news cycle has broken.

Is this essential? No.

Is it rational? Also no.

Is it selfish of us to ask for donations? Probably.

Is it arguably more meaningful than not donating money so Gen and I can see Rush? Shockingly, yes.

Think of it less as charity and more as a micro-investment in Jimevieve, your favorite local power couple. While the world burns, you can take decisive action and say, “I helped make something good happen.”

Or don’t. Keep your money. We understand.

But just know… you had a chance to be part of something slightly less terrible. Don't let inactivity and apathy win.