Graceful Parenting in Austin

For what it’s worth, it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be. There’s no time limit… start whenever you want… you can change or stay the same. There are no rules to this thing. We can make the best or the worst of it. I hope you make the best of it. I hope you see things that stop you. I hope you feel things that you never felt before. I hope you meet people with a different point of view. I hope you live a life that you’re proud of and if you find that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to start all over again.
- From The Curious Case of Benjamin Button

I went to go see The Curious Case of Benjamin Button this past week and for the most part I left the theater with the same taste in my mouth as when I saw Forrest Gump. Both movies are molded from the same piece of clay. And in fact both were scripted for the screen by the same person. But I’ll be honest - I’m a sucker for this type of sentimentality.

[God it pains me to admit that... and so publicly. Yuck.]

Perhaps it was because I was recently laid off from a job I’ve had for 13 years, or celebrating my daughter’s 12th birthday, or expecting our 3rd child in February, or the fact I drove a mini-van to get to the theater, but every one-liner from the film hit me dead on in the chest. And god it hurt.

There’s also a good chance I responded the way I did to the film because I had also recently seen Seven Pounds, a movie’s whose theme is about forgiveness and redemption. If you knew it was your final days, could you forgive yourself for the choices you’ve made? what about the ones you didn’t?

I’m not sure what part of the universe is calling out to me, but I’m pretty sure it sounds a lot like Morgan Freeman telling me to “get busy livin’, or get busy dyin’.” I feel a calling and hear it all around me, but I haven’t quite put my finger on what it’s saying. My friend Macky tells me it’s my age. Apparently all 36 year olds are sitting around wondering if they’re life is on the right track. This must explain why “A Purpose Driven Life” has been on the best sellers list so long and more specifically why it’s being sold next to other business books. There has to be something more, right?

I’m pretty certain this isn’t a new phenomenon, otherwise the word “angst” would be as new to us as “truthiness”. Still, I can’t see my grandfather who served in World War II asking “what do I want to do with my life?” Truth is though, you can either answer this question yourself or it’ll get answered for you.

And so, for what’s its worth, I hope you’re living a life you’re proud of, and if you’ve found that you’re not, I hope you have the strength to not only start all over again, but you know what the hell you want to do and have the support of your friends, your kids, your spouse and your faith to get there. Let me know how I can help.