Letting Go of the Trapeze

After two decades in the 35 to 54 target market,
today I step into a new slice of the demographic.

The good news is I feel more like 35 than 55.
The bad news is my body likes to remind me otherwise.

My son Adam turns 21 today.

This is the first time since he was born we won’t
be together on our birthday.

On Thanksgiving Adam took Amtrak to Florida to
dance in a series of tournaments. He took vintage
tee shirts and sneakers to sell at the event.

He’s a chip off the old unconventional blockhead.

It’s fitting symmetry for the circle of life.
Give them roots, give them wings and let them go.

Feels like December 2, 1988 was just yesterday.
I held Adam in my arms and drifted off to look
ahead to what kind of man he would be at 21.
The dream seemed a lifetime away.

In the blink of an eye, the future is the present.
And what a present it is.

Adam is the greatest gift of my life.

He’s a good man, a spiritual soul.
He follows his passion for dancing.
He lives in the present.
He doesn’t stress about future goals.

He has a keen sense of what’s important and valuable.
I am a much better man for being Adam’s dad.

He is my greatest teacher.

Now it’s time to let go.
My work

is done.

I do the thing I’ve been dreading and anticipating:

I let go of the trapeze of the past and grab
with both hands the trapeze of the present.

For that fraction of a second I am suspended in mid air,
not in the past, not in the future.

I am fully in the only place life really exists:
The present!

Adam would be proud.
He constantly reminds me there is ONLY the present.

He says the SOUL, ROLE, GOAL of life is to:

Be yourself.
Do what you love.
Go where you want.

Simple wisdom fom the mouth of babes.

Today I ask:

What do I have to show for my 55 turns around the sun?

In the material realm, I am a simple man of modest wealth.
In the spiritual realm, I am rich beyond

measure.

I’m blessed to have my health, my mind and my spirit.
I have Adam and his mom Anita. We are very close.
I have my family and great friends.

I have YOU.

I am blessed and rich beyond measure.

In the end, life is about more than financial wealth.
It’s about spiritual and relationship wealth.

I don’t want people talking about how much I made.
I don’t care if they speak about how much I did.

I want them to remember how much I cared.
I want them to feel how much I loved.

I don’t work on my birthday.
I talk to people and enjoy conversation.

I reflect.

What have I contributed in exchange for the 500,000
hours of life I’ve been granted so far?

How can I give generously and receive gracefully?
How can I make the time I have left matter most?
How can I love and serve in the highest and best way?

Today I let go the trapeze of the past.
I grasp my hands firmly on the present.

And what a present it is.

Thank you for being part of my life.
I am grateful beyond words.

I look forward to sharing many more birthdays
together.

With love,

Mitch