Happy Friday friends,
The past two weeks or so, I've been blogging around my crazy schedule instead of thoughtfully planning ahead like I normally do. May always seems to be such a crazy month for me (last year I was getting ready to get married around this time). This year, I am literally traveling every weekend this month. Nevertheless, whether my posts are carefully planned or a bit more impromptu, I still appreciate this space so much.
This is my life. And like the ebb and flow of the year, sometimes this space bends a bit with me.
As I watched my little brother stand before the crowd on Tuesday night as he graduated high school with distinction (I'm almost 12 years older than him), I couldn't help but be overwhelmed by the possibilities that lay before him and in awe of his awesomeness. I went to college when he was about five, so I've watched him grow and change from afar. And it seemed as if in the blink of an eye he went from being a shy child to a thoughtful adult.
There was so much I wanted to say to him, but I couldn't seem to find the right words. When he admitted his nervousness about going off to college, all I could say is that he knows everything he needs to know, and he is everything he needs to be. He is a brilliant, kind, loving, beautiful soul who has only started to imagine what he can offer to the world. He is magic, even if he doesn't know it quite yet. I am so proud of the man he has become, and I hope he knows how much I believe in him.
In this state of hope and possibility, a bit of his magic rubbed off on me. I started thinking about the whole idea of graduation, the possibility of new change and hope that comes with completing a phase in your life. I started thinking that we should have more adult graduations where we celebrate each other and our accomplishments. What am I graduating from in my life right now?, I wondered.
And although I don't have a clear answer, (yesterday was my 5th anniversary at my job--maybe something related to that?) I remembered what it's like to truly feel all the possibilities lying before me. I kept getting teary all weekend at the weightiness of change--just the being in one of those big moments and realizing how alike and different we each are from our former selves, how far we are from where we were 1 year or 2 years or 5 years ago, how much power we have to choose how are lives will be in the days and years to come. Am I making any sense?
On my long plane ride home I spent a lot of time thinking back over the last ten years and being grateful for all the adventures and opportunities life has thrown my way, but also meditating quite a bit on where I want to go/what I'd like to prioritize now. And mostly, I thought a lot about family--how lucky I am for mine, how proud I am of my little brother for graduating and for being such a great guy.
Happy Graduation, Tommy! Thanks for being such an inspiration.
Oh, the places you will go:
My three brothers: Dirk, Tommy & Andrew
Tommy and his best friend, Bailey
Happy Friday Friends. May we all face each day of our lives like graduates-- filled with promise and hope and belief in ourselves and the possibilities we hold.
Love you Tommy.
Carpe Diem,
