Bridge Builders...

I am the middle generation.

I have two living parents and two living in-laws, while also having two children and a third on the way.

I find myself in the middle of two generations.  Seeking to honor the generation above, while at the same time investing in the generation below, and always desiring to love all of them well.

It's a challenging and yet rewarding place to be.

It is the role of a bridge builder.

Being a bridge builder is an incredibly challenging task that rarely get's much attention and accolades, but it is the substance on which the fabric of society is constructed.

Being a bridge builder is challenging and sensitive, but worth every bit.  The world needs bridge builders!

I want to build well.

Will you join me?

Fences or Wells?

There is a point in time where a ranchers property grows so large that even if he wanted to, it would be financially and logistically impossible to manage his/her herd using fencing.

What is the alternative?

If water is scarce, the rancher can install a well.  The animals are smart...they know their needs...and they will not roam further than where they will be able to access the watering hole.

The analogy translates to so many aspects of our world.

The temptation so often is to attempt to create fences.  It is easier and less abstract to create rules and regulations...to draw definitive lines in the sand that cannot be crossed.  But, the returns on this approach are almost always limited.

If bounded and limited results is the desire, then build fences.

Otherwise, build wells.

Wells create an ecosystem that is more abstract, but also have much greater potentials.

In many situations, through almost all walks of life, there is a choice.  Fences or wells?  Wells or fences?

What is your choice?

Buffalo vs. Cows

Apparently on the eastern plains of Colorado there are large roaming herds of both buffalo and cows, and when an ominous storm comes rolling over the mountains an interesting phenomenon takes place.

The cows can be observed running east, in an attempt to run away from the storm.  Conversely, the buffalo turn to the west, and run directly into the storm.

The result of course is that the cows end up enduring a much larger storm, while the buffalo shorten the challenge and get through the tough environment much quicker.

The phenomenon of these animals can also be observed in many people throughout the world.

There is a great temptation to be like the cows.  It seems like an easier approach.  And maybe at the onset it is, but not over the long haul.

On the flip side, it is challenging to take the approach of the buffalo.  Few people look forward to a challenging situation.  It is likely hard and painful in the short run, but it is almost always better over the long haul.

Continual Decisions...

Often decisions are viewed as one time events, when in actuality, most decisions are a setting the mind to continually decide.

Deciding to marry another individual is a set of continual decisions.

Deciding to lose weight and get in shape is a set of continual decisions.

Deciding to start a business is a set of continual decisions.

Deciding to buy a home is a set of continual decisions.

Deciding to be a better employee, boss, parent, child, or friend is a continual set of decisions.

More decisions than not are actually a set of continual decisions.  If more of us viewed the sets of continual decisions as such, the world would undoubtedly be a very different, and better, place.

Middle Ground...

Life is like a pendulum.  

The forces of life tend to push towards one extreme or the other, but the ideal location is almost always the middle.

There are times in life where the extremes are the right, best and healthiest place to be.

But more times than not the motivation towards the poles is something more like convenience and lack of thinking.

Life is more comfortable if things are...

Black or white...

Right or wrong...

Always or never...

Right or left...

Do or don't...

Yes or no...

However, often a life lived at these extremes is not one that is truly flourishing.

The reality is...most of life is grey.  

And grey is often the right, best and healthiest place to be...for both ourselves and the world.

Time usage...The Timeline...

A life is a timeline, and there is a point where one begins to grow aware that they are reaching the "middle" of that timeline.

Maybe this is where many people stumble into a mid-life crisis.  Certainly an "explainable" result.  But with the proper perspective, it seems this position on the timeline of life can be powerful and informative.

The potential exists in the paradox of the two sides of the timeline.

The limited time remaining (or put another way...the imminent end of the line) breeds an urgency and intentionality to be living with purpose, vigor and vision.  The right side of the timeline says "use time wisely"..."do the important not just the urgent".

The span of time already lived gives perspective on how much can be accomplished in a given window of time.  In essence, it is the left side of the timeline that opposes a fatalistic outlook on the right side of the timeline.

For some, the middle of the timeline leads to crisis.  It need not be this way.  A proper perspective at the middle of the timeline allows a life to reach a whole new trajectory.

Time usage...Is it wise?

A simple, but profound question.

Dictionary.com defines "wise" as: "having the power of discerning and judging properly what is true or right."

The implication here is that one must stop and think before diving in on something that requires time and energy.

Again, this may seem simple, but is often overlooked.

This is not a stopping to think at the level of paralysis, but rather at the level of mindfulness.

Time is far too precious a resource to not be adequately thought about.  It's a powerful question!

Is it wise?