When "the rest" is fewer than "the past"
Matt Weeks
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A personal observation on the occasion of a trip around the sun.
Overwhelmed with gratitude this weekend and week as a wave of love, friendship and affirmation knocked me over.
I happily rolled around in the soft sand and wallowed in the warmth and salty tears of laughter and fresh blast of recognition of all I’ve been given, and all that’s in front of me.
Daily doings and furious work....
How ironic it is, that we so often get caught up in the "daily doing" of things that we forget to enjoy the journey itself, which is unpredictable in path and in duration. And so, we risk missing the whole point, which is, of course to live, love, learn, break rules, discover, and most importantly, impact others in positive ways.
My father only lived seven years more than I’ve been on the planet. I intend to stubbornly be around another thirty or more. If that ended tomorrow I’d be proud and immensely lucky and blessed by those who’ve touched me and those I’ve been fortunate enough to impact for the better.
This week, so many people reached out, in very personal ways, at what is normally a mundane or ordinary birthday. It struck me that I might be doing something a little bit right, in impacting others. And yet I know I can do so much more. And in this I am inspired to do better.
Thanks to those of my extended O’Hana who’ve reached out to touch me this birthday privately or publicly. I know who you are. I know we will continue to learn from one another, and contribute to one anothers’ paths.
If I’m slow to respond individually please forgive my delay. You’re here on my mind and in my heart.
Quietude as a practice
Being still, and even being quiet and silent in a relationship, be it friends, former colleagues, even relatives and loved ones... is not always a bad thing, as long as the "ripples between "silent, flat spaces" are returned-to.
Sometimes the quietude of silence of banter and furious interaction serves to create a calm quiet space, like the flat glassy mirror surface of the water between ripples of a drop of rain.
If we are in that flat space, fear not. It’s a re-charge between delicious and enlivening ripples already moving towards us.
This has been a reflective and peaceful and deeply recharging birthday. I’m looking forward to seeing and speaking with so many people here and IRL, and new friends during this next trip around the sun.
Metamorphosis as regression to the "new mean"
Lots to do, lots to experience and so many small and large shifts and changes ahead. Metamorphosis and perhaps regression to the mean... or better said: the “new” mean.
Prime numbers are lucky birthdays they say. I say yes, as long as we keep moving, learning, growing, living, loving. And breaking a few rules along the way as well.
Cheers and wishes for a beautiful rest of the week.
And thank you for your impact(s) on me, and allowing me inside your orbit. The better to find ways of being of service, adding value and insight, learning together, and also just being a friendly voice at the end of the phone, keyboard or opposite the table in a cafe. All good.
May 6, 2019
Connector | Storyteller | Marketing & Communications Strategist | Influencer Marketing | Inclusion Ally | Non-Profit Fundraising | Mentor
5 年Congrats on this birthday & sharing your thoughts so eloquently. Here’s to at least a few more decades of joy, discovery & embracing aging gracefully. Let’s try to reconnect soon!