35 years
(no video today...this one needs to be written)
35 years x 2 = 70 years. Someone told me this past weekend that you're not old as long as you can double your age and still have a reasonable chance of being alive. So I guess I'm not old, but I am a year older today.
35 years have gone so quickly -- melted into a sea of memories sloshing about inside my head.
So let's take stock: my wife is still my best friend, my children are a treasure and a crucible, my family members are good traveling mates, my friends are great friends, the best thing about my job is the people I work with, and my faith is a comfort and a struggle. Not bad for half-a-life (God willing). Sounds fairly normal for 35 year-old white boy from Houston.
And now for the questions...
Q: Am I settling?
A: Maybe.
Q: Is settling a bad thing?
A: I don't think so.
Q: What if I could've been a star chef or a missionary or a circus clown or an NFL referee or a rock star? What if I could've done something magnificent?
A: Ummm...you've already been all those things, just not on the scale that you typically consider magnificent. Rethink magnificent.
Q: What about the world? Doesn't it need changing?
A: You are changing the world, one diaper at a time.
Q: What if I'm a bad parent? I'll be screwing up 3 kids at once!
A: You will be a bad parent occasionally, so get over it. But you'll also have shining moments of brilliant and compassionate parenting. Like B said, you just have to be "good enough".
Q: What about my faith? I'm as weak and sinful and selfish as ever and I thought I wouldn't be by now.
A: Join the crowd and keep at it. Out of the struggle comes growth.
Q: What about the will of God? What if I missed it?
A: The will of God is more about who you are, not what you do. However, your choices are often determined by who you are.
Q: My work is interesting but not that rewarding. Am I wasting my life on work that doesn't reward me emotionally or doesn't really meet the needs of the world?
A: 1. See the answer to the previous question. 2. Do you serve people in the course of your work? Do you have human co-workers? Then you have a call to be merciful, loving, compassionate, and self-less towards all you come in contact with at work. Once you've mastered that, call me back.
Q: Who are you and why don't I hear from you more often?
A: I'm always around but I'm usually soft-spoken. You pump so much noise into your head that you can't hear me most of the time. You'll hear me when you're quiet. And by the way, happy birthday.
drb
35 years x 2 = 70 years. Someone told me this past weekend that you're not old as long as you can double your age and still have a reasonable chance of being alive. So I guess I'm not old, but I am a year older today.
35 years have gone so quickly -- melted into a sea of memories sloshing about inside my head.
So let's take stock: my wife is still my best friend, my children are a treasure and a crucible, my family members are good traveling mates, my friends are great friends, the best thing about my job is the people I work with, and my faith is a comfort and a struggle. Not bad for half-a-life (God willing). Sounds fairly normal for 35 year-old white boy from Houston.
And now for the questions...
Q: Am I settling?
A: Maybe.
Q: Is settling a bad thing?
A: I don't think so.
Q: What if I could've been a star chef or a missionary or a circus clown or an NFL referee or a rock star? What if I could've done something magnificent?
A: Ummm...you've already been all those things, just not on the scale that you typically consider magnificent. Rethink magnificent.
Q: What about the world? Doesn't it need changing?
A: You are changing the world, one diaper at a time.
Q: What if I'm a bad parent? I'll be screwing up 3 kids at once!
A: You will be a bad parent occasionally, so get over it. But you'll also have shining moments of brilliant and compassionate parenting. Like B said, you just have to be "good enough".
Q: What about my faith? I'm as weak and sinful and selfish as ever and I thought I wouldn't be by now.
A: Join the crowd and keep at it. Out of the struggle comes growth.
Q: What about the will of God? What if I missed it?
A: The will of God is more about who you are, not what you do. However, your choices are often determined by who you are.
Q: My work is interesting but not that rewarding. Am I wasting my life on work that doesn't reward me emotionally or doesn't really meet the needs of the world?
A: 1. See the answer to the previous question. 2. Do you serve people in the course of your work? Do you have human co-workers? Then you have a call to be merciful, loving, compassionate, and self-less towards all you come in contact with at work. Once you've mastered that, call me back.
Q: Who are you and why don't I hear from you more often?
A: I'm always around but I'm usually soft-spoken. You pump so much noise into your head that you can't hear me most of the time. You'll hear me when you're quiet. And by the way, happy birthday.
drb
posted by drb at 8/02/2005 07:43:00 AM
3 Comments:
Great post David.
For what it's worth - I admire you and during the short periods of interaction we've had I've learned a lot from you.
Your impact is far bigger than you think. Happy Birthday and keep at it - it's working.
David,
Hi. For someone who isn't old, you sure are wise. Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
And Happy (belated) Birthday!
David-
found (again) the blog to check on you and Amber and the girls. Wish I had sucked as much wisdom out of turning 35 as you did. I miss you guys and am glad you're doing well.
Peace,
Michael
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