“I am so old I remember Preparation A.”
– Jack McKeon, MLB manager, quoted in 2003, when he was “only” 73
And, so, another trip around the sun begins. My 53rd.
What does it mean? Well, there are now another year’s worth of mistakes that hopefully won’t be repeated. Twelve more months of lessons learned and scar tissue established. A few more balky joints and sore muscles, and a few fewer follicles — a few MORE of them gray.
Every April and October, I embark on a month of purposeful reflection — an intentional dive deep in to the strategies and tactics, the plan and the progress, the status and the satisfaction therewith.
It’s coincidental that it comes on the heels of my birthday and my half-birthday (the concept of which never hit me until the Youngest of The Three pointed out that it’s her only chance to take birthday treats to school, due to her summer birth…). It’s more about a forced process of understanding, or at the very least, seeking to understand.
What makes me tick? What makes me happy? What makes me energized? What saps my energy? Why do I gravitate to some things and avoid others? And, if the answers or reasons for the answers vary a bit from six months prior — what’s changed — how are the filters different, if at all?
I learn what makes a difference for me, and what makes me make a difference.
Try it. I think you’ll like it.
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