We watch, encourage and expect all these changes. First steps, first words, first soccer practice. Graduation from high school and then later college. Each and every year a celebration and expectation of what comes next. It is wonderful and exciting. Us working hard on who we are about to become. Supported by family, teachers, coaches and the community at large all working hard so that we can reach our potential.
And then life changes and while we might work towards the next promotion, somewhere we lose our expectation that every year, we will learn a new level of mastery over something. Instead, we are working, taking care of others and while not for all, many of us I think forget about our own evolution.
And in the process, we stop working hard for what we can become. What we have the capability of becoming.
In some ways it is like we just finished grade 4 and we know the alphabet now and 2+2=4 and now we think we are done.
And when we think that that becomes a truth that we fulfill. A truth that is dangerous and it kills the next evolution of us.
Maybe in part because we are no longer supported by the community at large encouraged at every turn to study, to take time to work on us. No longer do we have everyone behind us so that we can spend the time to grow stronger, smarter and maybe along the way a little wiser. Before we were the ones supported and now, we are expected to be the ones working and support those both younger and older than us. Time for us to help them.
Every year is a gift. Every day as well. And of course, each moment as well. A gift, an opportunity to see where we take ourselves next.
As a child learning basic addition, impossible to imagine what it will be like to be solving quadratic equations.
As a child learning how to tie your shoelaces impossible to imagine that one day your hands could be possibly coordinated enough to play at Carnegie Hall.
And there is a very important point in there.
We cannot see what we can be, until we get there. But often we need someone else to say there is somewhere else to go.
Someplace where you can be more. Someplace you maybe cannot imagine, fathom is there right now, but don't doubt there is always something more to experience.
Every year of your life is yours to evolve. But your choice if that is the gift you make out of your life or if you ignore that possibility.