The Need to Share ....

Over the course of my career, I've had the good fortune to travel to some rather interesting places, and as exciting as all of that could be at times, there was always a little melancholy mixed with the excitement of experiencing someplace entirely new when traveling all by myself. Because whether I was in a celebratory mood for having given a well-received presentation, or perhaps from having landed a prestigious new client, or at having witnessed something astoundingly beautiful like the waves flowing into Dana Point in Southern Californi, where I also saw my first flounder caught, or just enjoying some quiet time over a good meal in a wonderful restaurant, those moments were meant to be shared but when I looked around there was nobody else there …. at least that I knew.

As the years continues to progress at an astoundingly fast rate of speed, it seems the days blend into weeks and weeks into months. There’s hardly time to wake up dreading the week ahead before you’re staring at the weekend and then yet another week. Getting lost in the shuffle of everyday living, one cannot help but suffer the predictable side effect of discontent when they wonder where all the time has gone. There’s a good reason why so many people experience a mid-life crisis during their forties …. with the sudden passage of time, they feel the need to recapture the exuberance of their youth when all things still seemed possible. This past summer as I witnessed the multitude of expensive Harleys blazing up and down Central Avenue one weekend, I was reminded of the abundance of having a second childhood. With some sense of accomplishment under your belt and children mostly grown (for those who had them) it’s finally time to blaze new trails in an effort to once again find yourself. But again, this only works well when you have someone to share it with ….

Now in my mid-fifties, I'm well aware you simply cannot have it all …. something you once considered important always suffers, whether that be having a home life, your relationship with your partner, children, time spent with family and friends or even the dreams you once held so dear. Therefore if you cannot have it all, then it’s best to choose what you want the most and then cultivate it into something extraordinary so that it’s capable of feeding your soul. Then when days turn into years, you can at least find contentment with most of the choices you made along the way.

As for me, I’m on auto-pilot now, but I know one way or another this will soon change, as change is the one and only guarantee life chooses to offer each and every one of us with any degree of certainty. Therefore, I am patiently waiting for my jumping off point …. when something serendipitous will occur telling me it’s time. Until then, I keep busy fanning the flames of "hope".