Re-Entry

I love the movie First Man.

The way the film was shot, especially in the landing sequence, with such focus on Armstrong had me feel I was almost experiencing it with him. Ryan Gosling’s portrayal of Armstrong was mesmerizing (helps that he’s really easy to look at).

The lead up to the landing was amazing. However, the part that had me reflect the most was the re-entry.

How does a person experience something so monumental, so alien to any other human being and then come back to their day-to-day life? How did Armstrong integrate all he had seen, all he had experienced, all his thoughts and all his feelings into life back on Earth?

Only a handful of human beings have experienced what Armstrong experienced. And he is the only person who will ever be the first person to land on the moon.

I don’t know what Armstrong did to re-integrate back into his daily life. And while the opportunity I had at the African Leadership University as an Expert in Residence was not entirely unique and many others have had similar experiences (including being an EIR at ALU), I do know that it is important to consciously integrate it to ensure the experience was learning and not an event.

Here is what I am doing:

1.    Observing; I am watching the thoughts and feelings as they come and go, without judgement, attachment or expectation. I am also watching for adaptive patterns that I saw at ALU, things that work, that lead to success and are transferrable to other contexts.

2.    Connecting; I am reaching out to others in my life who have taken similar opportunities to share and learn from them how they worked through their re-entry. I am also continuing to connect with those I met at ALU.  

3.    Capturing; I am writing down thoughts, observations – anything really – free flowing, without attachment or expectation, to see what emerges.

4.    Clarifying; through all of these methods, I am clarifying where I am and where I am going, drawing on the amazing people I have in my life and network to help me map out what’s next.

Action will come from all of this and I’m excited for what is ahead.

Any significant life event requires time and conscious energy to work through. When your life changes, change your life.