At some point you will ask yourself, “what came before me?”  “Who else is in my family Tree?”

You may have already asked it or maybe you will ask it when you have your own kids and fully realize that your life wasn’t a self contained, self absorbed existence but fit into an on going family story that lived before you and will live beyond you.

Now at 75 I wanted to share my story and my life experiences for you, for your children and maybe one day for their children. Though my life isn’t over, I anticipate in the next five to eight years it will be increasingly difficult for me to both remember and write my life story for you.

I start with two quotes that have always been close to me and my thinking through the adult years of my life. Here is the first:

Stories we tell ourselves to explained to be who we are,

What is happening to us and where we are going,

Are incredibly important and powerful………….

So choose your stories carefully.

Everything that has happened to me, that will happen to you in your life, leads  to some form of reflection and insight. Some desire to understand and explain to yourself and to others, what has happened in your life in the past, in the present and your desires and or fears about the future . .

You can learn a lot from listening to other peoples stories about their lives and how they chose to try and live them. Are their stories full of pain, suffering and regret? Are their stories too good to believe? 

The stories I am to tell you about my life will be generally much more positive, up beat and positive. That doesn’t mean that haven’t been moments in my life when I was depressed, discouraged or unhappy. But over the sweep of the 75 years I have been alive, my sense of reality, my experience have been overwhelmingly happy, enriching and wonderful.

The second quote is from a song by Bob Dylan:

Those not busy being born are busy dying.

What I did this morning, yesterday or last week is gone now. I may have screwed up, made mistakes, offended someone or even hurt them. What happened to me this morning, yesterday or last week is gone now. Maybe someone had screwed me up, made mistakes, offended or even hurt me…. But it is gone now. If you choose to leave it there.

As best you can, try and leave it there so you can be ready to experience the world as new , unknown and full of unexpected outcomes.