It has been a whirlwind of a Summer — one I am both happy and sad to see go. The amount of loss has been heavy in the air for us this Summer, but at the same time celebrations of life have been all around. I guess what it means is that I have been in a total state of divided attention for months. This week will be no different as my Sister gets married on Friday! That means another short week of trying to cram way too much stuff into the available time. We are all crazy busy, so I know bitching about it will get me nowhere fast.
Last week was particularly difficult. We found out that one of my best friend’s Mother passed away, finally losing her battle with cancer. She was a wonderful woman who acted like a second Mother to me — but honestly, acting like a Mother and losing your Mother pales in comparison. At her service he, his Father, and two siblings stood in front of the most crowded church I have ever been in and delivered the most heart wrenching tribute. It became clear to me that it was harder for me to see him hurt so much then it was knowing his Mother had passed. Not sure if that makes any sense, but it was a new place for me to be.
From there, it was off to a wedding of another great friend. His wedding was at his home outside of Honsdale, PA on his 20 acres in the woods. What a wonderful venue — unlike anything I had been to before. It was a wonderful evening. We stayed in a great lake community and I actually relaxed — very little cell coverage, wifi was scarce, and the kids were with Grandma. I noticed I didn’t feel the need to check email or RSS feeds or anything else.
Today is back to reality for a couple of days and then back into the wedding cycle. I am thrilled for the weekend and I am excited to see the seasons change. I think we all need a new vibe around here. Sorry for the off topic post, but I had to write.
That’s the great thing about blogging – it allows us to put a human side to our professional personas that generally enhance the experience for readers and writers alike.
Sorry to hear about your friend’s mother.
– Oren
It isn’t so much re-entry, as it is re-generation. Sometimes we get so aught up in the “stuff” of our lives and what we do, that we drain the emotional and family batteries. Every now and then we need to chuck the work, and the wiki’s, and the feeds, and the email, and the wifi, and all the rest, and get back to regenerating ourselves. All of that will be there when we come back, but the chance to say “I love you”, “I feel for you”, “I’m happy for you”, “Goodbye” . . . those things won’t be there. Regenerating, connecting to family, connecting to life, finding our center and the core of who we are . . . that’s finding re-entry. have a great fall!
I love the concept of Unlearning Yourself! I also love the idea of rebirth. Growing is beautiful and remaining true to feelings really does matter in this fast paced world. They want us to do more with less. Finding the time to cop-a-feeling and live in that feeling for longer than a few minutes is a good thing (I think living in feelings for hours or days is even better). We have to remain true to all of those abstract concepts — love, graciousness, hopefulness, thankfulness, etc. If we don’t, we become wilted by this world, and become negatively affected and infectious on other people.
You have taken a breath and are changed by your feelings. You have partaken in a rebirth, Cole. Live in it, Love it, promote it, and smile!