To the brothers & sisters of Generation ME,
Fall is here. I can feel it's presence, sense it in our conversations (both spoken and unspoken), and see it in our eyes. We know Fall as a planetary season, but never before have we experienced Fall as a life cycle. However, if you've recently celebrated or are slated to celebrate the Big 50, I say to you my friend... Welcome to Fall.
Fall is here. Just yesterday, our leaves were Summery hues. Overnight, tinges of Autumn un-colored our foliage - a hair here, a forest there. Follicles fall leaving us bald. Tributaries have taken up residence where happy lines once flashed. Mirror, mirror on the wall... who the heck is THIS person and why are they showing up in MY mirror?
Fall is here, our season of transition. Our Spring is but a memory. Our Summer? Yesterday's news. Our Fall is before us. What shall we do, my brother? My sister? What shall we do?
This road trip of life is beckoning us. You gotta admit, the vantage point from the driver's seat is decidedly different at this point. We've passed the invisible road marker that signalled that we are beyond the halfway point. No longer does this road trip appear as an infinite adventure. It now has a destination, even if the remaining mileage is unknown. We may have 40+ years of struggling to balance our checkbook, but on this journey into Fall, life is demanding a full reconciliation. What will you do when, perhaps for the first time ever, your dreams disappear from your horizon and reappear in your rear view mirror? "Is that my... my.... dream back there... on the side of the road?"
Family, our Fall is here. Whether your life-to-date reconciliation didn't balance out or your dreams appear to be fading at warp speed, one thing is certain: we are entering our season of transition. Before you take radical actions or panic, I'm simply asking you to step back, take a deep breath and respect the process. It is necessary. It can be difficult. But, it is definitely in Divine Order. Welcome it.
Family, our Fall is here. Whether your life-to-date reconciliation didn't balance out or your dreams appear to be fading at warp speed, one thing is certain: we are entering our season of transition. Before you take radical actions or panic, I'm simply asking you to step back, take a deep breath and respect the process. It is necessary. It can be difficult. But, it is definitely in Divine Order. Welcome it.
"To Everything There Is A Season"
Ecclesiastes 3:1
I don't have the answers for what lie ahead. I do believe there are two things we each can do that will benefit us greatly. First, let's agree to open and honest communication. Who knew of those dreams now appearing in your rear view mirror? Who knew? Let's have real dialog, withholding the judgement. Let's keep it real.
Second, the path that we each must travel is cloaked in uncertainty. And yet, the pathway into Fall is well-travelled. We can illuminate our pathway by turning to the greatest, natural resource on earth, our elders. We may have bigger houses, fancier cars, bigger titles, and have out-earned them, but we'll never out-learn them. Seek out their counsel and sit as a child. Speak a little/listen a lot. No cell-phones, no 30 minute time allotments. Theirs is a wisdom acquired from every season. Invest quality time and you'll be rewarded with wisdom that not even Oprah money can't buy.
Happy 50th, Generation Me. May you experience a peace that surpasses all understanding. Love, That Johnson Boy.
3 comments:
Transition is that what you call it? more like hell if you ask me. im at a crossroads and no idea how i got here and where the hell im going. but thanks 4 the piece
Having already passed by 50 year marker I believe I can give some of you the benefit of my years. We as a people spend too much time talking and not enough time acting! Then one day we wake up and discover we've hit the Big 50 and suddenly begin to panic. Don't panic--ACT! God gave us the ability to dream, the energy to go after them, and the wisdom to enjoy and appreciate them when they come true. He also left it all up to us. We can always find a reason why we didn't pursue this dream or that dream, when in reality we just have to admit that we didn't think enough of ourselves to put the effort and time in it was going to take to make it happen. We can always blame someone else, but when I look back on my own life every thing I didn't achieve or dream that didn't happen for me was ultimately my fault. It took me awhile to figure out that if you don't ACT, nothing happens! But when you do ACT, God now has a way to cast his favor on you and things start to fall into place. Some of you might say but I did ACT and that might very well be true. But you also know there are many paths to getting to a final destination, each filled with detours and distractions, and some are harder than others. So recommit yourself to your dreams, make sure they're not fantasies, but real achievable dreams and then put a plan in place and make it happen. Write it down, visualize it, post a picture of it on your refrigerator, surround yourself with people who can help you make it happen and then work smart and tirelessly! Don't give up and don't give in, check your sails, readjust as necessary, and make sure you have the wind behind you, then continue your course to your chosen dream(s). It may sound simple, but I know this works. It has worked time and time again in my life. I just wish I had used this process earlier. Many laughed at my approach, but none are laughing today. I've been blessed over and over again. Good luck and remember we don't have another 50 years to sit back and think about it. Our time clock is ticking, make every tick, a tick in your favor. See you at the finish line! CJ
I am not 50 yet...got a bout 3 years to go :) But I Am looking orward to it! I like getting older. I like what I know now. I am still dreaming...chasing dreams and loving.
Lovely post :)
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