Yet Another New Season

In just a few hours, my boys will begin first grade. With it will come a plethora of varying emotions. On the one hand, I'll be proud of them and who they are becoming. On the other hand, I'll mourn the fact they are growing up so fast. It seems like just yesterday, they were learning to walk and talk. Today, they read everything they see and constantly add random numbers. It seems like just yesterday, they decided it would be fun to fingerpaint with their poop. Today, they strategically drop farts on me and each other. Ok, some things never change!

For as much as I want time to slow down, I'm trying to enjoy it for what it is: a series of really cool seasons. If I look at life as one linear story, I feel lost in it. However, if I view it as a number of seasons, it changes the dynamic for me. If our midwestern winters stayed in perpetuity, it would drive me mad. But the fact it's merely a season makes it something I celebrate and, dare I say, embrace it.

Life is much the same way. When we can view it in terms of seasons, we can celebrate and embrace each moment more intentionally. Though our summer was extraordinarily busy, I strongly feel like we embraced the season. Lots of memories, tons of adventures, and plenty of bonding. That's the thing about time. We're never going to slow it down, so we ought to savor it the best we can. I used to foolishly think I could bend time if I was intentional enough, but alas, I was wrong. Instead, I'll concede time will always go too fast, but we'll embrace every moment as it comes. I don't always get it right, but perhaps I can get a little better each time I try.

So today, I celebrate and mourn.....but mostly celebrate. I'll always cherish the seasons we've had in the past, but it's time to embrace the one upon us.

The Test of Time and Space

As I’m writing this, it’s mid-afternoon on New Year’s Eve. Today is a big day. Well, not today, technically. 20 years ago, at this very hour, was a big day. 3PM on December 31st, 2002. That’s when I arrived at a grungy (at best) apartment in Memphis, TN. After an exhausting 10-hour drive, I anxiously but excitedly walked into an unfamiliar building, in an unfamiliar city, in an unfamiliar state, and met an unfamiliar person. His name was Brook, and he too had just moved into this apartment. He was from Penn State and we were both about to embark upon an internship experience at International Paper Company. Think of it as Dunder Mifflin before Dunder Mifflin even existed, but much bigger and not nearly as funny. What we didn’t know at the time was it would be about a whole lot more than a simple internship.

Us living together was an arrangement of finances and convenience. We were both broke college kids who needed a cheap place to live, hopefully close to the office. Through e-mail, we made that happen. But what we were unknowingly doing was creating a lifelong friendship that withstood the test of time and space. He and I, along with our third amigo Nick (who was a local Memphis kid who also shared the internship experience), have remained close 20 years after that experience. Fun fact: we’ve only seen each other in person maybe 6 times since we lived together (3 of which were our respective weddings). Yet, we still talk weekly (or more).

What’s interesting about Brook and I’s relationship is we aren’t alike….at all. We have vastly different views on politics, faith, culture, finances, sports teams, and pretty much every topic imaginable. But what we do have is love for one another and a mutual respect for each other’s perspectives. I’ve learned a lot from Brook, and I suspect he’d say the same about me. In a life where I’ve gotten a lot of things drastically wrong, this is one thing I can say I’ve got remarkably right. Whether it’s Brook, Nick, Ryan, Dan, Gary, or a handful of other people who I have deeply genuine and honest relationships with, I’m so grateful for those bonds that withstand the test of time and space. I hope you also have a Brook in your life. That’s what the idea of meaning over money is all about…..the meaning.