Born Again (And Again)
Yesterday I mowed the lawn for the first time this year. The smell of fresh-cut grass a guarantee that Spring is here.
As my Christian friends commemorate the resurrection of Jesus today, I find myself thinking about the many times my life has been renewed over the years.
There was the time when, in grade school, I first stood up to a bully. Or when I first performed on stage. All of life’s early rites of passage: romantic relationships and friendships that run their course. Absorbing lots of knowledge during college, then realizing how much more I still had to learn. Marriage, parenthood, and now empty-nesterhood. Entrepreneurship. They all turned me into a fundamentally different version of myself.
One of the central lessons of my life is the lesson of impermanence. On some time scale, everything here on Earth comes to an end. Anything that is truly eternal is mostly beyond my comprehension, and I am comfortable with this.
Every night we fall asleep, and awake renewed. Every Fall the leaves drop from the trees, Winter sets in, then eventually the trees bud again. The spring peepers herald yet another year of renewal. Our friends and loved ones drop like leaves, each on their own unique schedule.
After a few decades, we begin to notice patterns. And we begin to recognize that we can intentionally revise and renew ourselves. We can seek out specific transformational experiences. We can take on specific challenges that we know will require something new of us. We stop chasing shallow, meaningless things and focus on the most important. This heightens our engagement with life, making every day special, and too brief.
I know that not everyone experiences the full spectrum of the progression I describe. I’m sure that other people might look at my timeline and think “Wow, he really missed out on some good lessons.”
One of the coolest things about this current point in time for me is talking with my adult children, getting a sense of how they are navigating their lives. I try to mostly be a sounding board, asking open-ended questions. Posing “what if” thought experiments. Helping them examine important decisions from as many angles as possible, and expressing confidence in their ability to make the choice that is right for them.
I’ve come to believe that one of the tallest tasks for all of us is to simply develop our self awareness. The more we know about ourselves, what lights us up (and why), the easier it is to make the right decisions for ourselves. If you don’t know where you are going, any road will take you there. It takes time to figure out what roads we should be traveling.
Early in my life, I think I tended to follow the path of least resistance, and was pretty random in terms of trying different things. Pruning out pathways after finding those that were not right for me. It’s the rare 18-year old that knows exactly what they want to do with their life, and runs straight at it. We tend to bounce around a bit, before settling into something that works for us.
We all start somewhere, and hopefully advance in a positive direction from there. I am immensely grateful for the position I find myself in today - and for the fact that tomorrow can be even better.
Sunday Supper
We’re going to enjoy this Chicken Shawarma on salad greens today, and these Horseradish Deviled Eggs. These Chocolate Easter Egg Nests look like a fun holiday treat.
Sunday Music
Imagine driving through Eau Claire Wisconsin, listening to this interview of Justin Vernon by Krista Tippet and learning that he grew up in Eau Claire. That happened to me this past week. So I had to feature him here - this live performance for NPR is wonderful. This performance by Hania Rani is lovely as well. Enjoy!
If you know anyone who might like this essay, please share it with them.
Have a great week ahead! Offer support to others. Make good use of this day. And let me know how I can help.
Peace & Love,