Home Columns Building a Legacy: How Many Summers?

Building a Legacy: How Many Summers?

by Gary Zamarripa

When we are young, we have our whole lives ahead of us. Unlimited opportunities and endless freedom.

My neighbor and good friend recently told me a story of when he was just out of college. He met an older gentleman and they were talking about life and during the conversation the man told him the story of “how many summers do you have left?”

As a young guy, he never gave it much regard, but as he got a bit older, he was fully aware the question had deep meaning. As time goes on, the reality of your mortality becomes a real thing to think about. The question becomes, “what have you done to maximize your happiness and life experience?” The term “bucket list” gets thrown around a lot, but checking off items on the bucket list should be something you work on from a young age.

Even if you are alive, how many good times can you have while you are in good health? It’s basically a You Only Live Once (YOLO) or live-for-today attitude. This can also be applied to aging parents and loved ones. How many summers do they have left? Are you making time to spend with them while they are capable and active?

It’s a morbid subject but one that should be recognized. We don’t live forever. How much life experience can we have, and how many memories can we make in the meantime? I’m not saying to spend the rent or mortgage payment on a trip to Las Vegas. I am just advocating to live your best life within your means regardless of your age.

All Stages of Life

The crowd sings along at a Death Cab for Cutie concert I attended at the Red Rocks Park & Amphitheater near Morrison, Colo. on Sept. 13.

This philosophy can really apply to every stage in life. How many summers do you have while you are single and don’t have to take someone else’s feelings into account when making decisions?

How many summers do you have as a young couple without kids? You think about how many opportunities you have left to take the vacation to Hawaii, Paris or maybe just sitting on a beach with a drink in hand and your toes in the sand.

How much time do you have while you have young kids that marvel at the spectacle of Disney World? While they are still young enough to believe the characters are the real ones from the movies.

How many summers do you have left with teenagers before they graduate and head off to college? My advice is if you have your finances in good shape, say yes to new experiences and things you’ve always wanted to do but thought it wasn’t the right time.

The point of the story is there is no real number to the question being posed. We have no idea what life will throw at us each and every day, so it’s impossible to answer it. The point of the question is to get you thinking about living life to the fullest right here and right now.

Just like how the NFL and fantasy football season is right here and right now as we near the main slate of games of Week 2.

Dynasty Perspective: San Francisco 49ers Backfield

The person in the NFL making the most of his opportunities and living his best life right now is Elijah Mitchell. He is a rookie running back drafted in the sixth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. As the offseason began, he found himself buried on the depth chart with legitimate concern of making the roster at all.

Elijah Mitchell rushed for 104 yards on 19 carries in Week 1.

The incumbent starter was Raheem Mostert, followed by some mix of second-round pick Trey Sermon, offseason acquisition Wayne Gallman and current running backs Jeff Wilson Jr. and JaMycal Hasty. That’s a big hill to climb for a sixth-round rookie.

Gallman was released during the final roster cuts, Wilson Jr. injured his knee lifting weights and Trey Sermon ended up being inactive In Week 1, stuck in coach Kyle Shannan’s doghouse after running with the starters during the preseason.

Mostert injured his knee on the second carry of the Week 1 game against Detroit. With Sermon inactive, that left the door wide open for Mitchell who took the opportunity and ran with it. He took 19 carries and turned them into 104 yards and a touchdown.

He was the top-recommended waiver wire pick up this week with the starting job his to take. However, there is reason to pause since third-round pick, Sermon will presumably be active here on out.

What This Means for Dynasty Leagues:

Mostert is a free agent next season and it is doubtful the 49ers will bring him back. Stash him on Injured Reserve (IR) if your league has that option. If not, he can be cut to promote a rookie from your taxi squad or for an in-season free-agent pickup.

Sermon is the main back to roster in dynasty leagues on this team. Despite the Week 1 inactive status, he has the highest draft pedigree and the skills to make an impact in the league.

Mitchell is the current back to roster in redraft leagues. There is also a chance he becomes a valuable dynasty asset, as well, depending on how the season progresses. He was drafted at the tail end of most rookie drafts this spring. But I wouldn’t now surrender any picks to acquire him due to the fluidity of the 49ers’ depth chart.

Wilson Jr. is expected to come off the IR in Week 6 and that will throw a wrinkle in the backfield. He is a hold if you have an IR spot or a waiver speed dial as it gets closer to his return.

Hasty is a nice “what the heck” speculative add in leagues to see how everything plays out in Week 2 and beyond.

Fantasy football players should continue to monitor this 49ers backfield. Whoever wins the job has historically had success due to the Kyle Shannan zone run scheme.


A little empathy goes a long way. Try to make someone smile every day with an act of kindness. Find me on Twitter @GaryZam01 to chat about football, music or really anything.

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