The Autumn of Our Years?
Summer’s over. It is no longer “unseasonably” chilly, and grilling after the kid is in bed requires a flashlight. Woodsmoke is a comfort.
September always feels like the beginning of the year to me – January is more like a frozen mid-point. And, while true summer vacation is but a fond memory, there is something about this time of year that always makes me want to hunker down. It is time to get back to blogging.
Summer 2010 was no vacation. We launched Ethical Leaders in Action in earnest (actually, in Saint Paul and online), and I have added some new content of late. I’d love to see your comments on our newest Crib Sheet on Ethical Decision Making. If you have four minutes, please check out the new video, designed to raise awareness – okay, to shamelessly promote – my public speaking.
I’ve also been busy with clients. Ethical leadership development is exciting work. I am so often inspired by the people and organizations with whom I work, and I generally learn as much as anyone participating in our programs. It isn’t always easy, though – and one sign of hard times to come is when I have a single, recurring thought: “Why can’t (he, she, or they) just freaking GROW UP!?!”
I don’t actually say “freaking” in my head, but this is a family blog. I do literally wonder, aloud and in my head, about the adulthood of a few people with whom I work. It has caused me to reflect, as we find ourselves in another political season, just how precious and rare adulthood really is. And, ultimately, I have come to wonder WHAT adulthood really means for us today.
I have felt very adult since my parents died; my mother said she felt the same transition at the passing of both her father and, much later, her mother. I rarely feel like I’m playing grown up, nor look like I borrowed my father’s suit. On the other hand, I ostensibly buy Legos for my kids…but I can’t wait to “help them” build the sets. And, if we’re being honest here, Tony Soprano said it best: “What I think is funny is what an eight year old boy thinks is funny.” It is complicated, at best.
When I listen to political attack ads or (pick your favorite) high-decibel demagogue masquerading as a pundit…when I watch the antics of those to whom we seem to confer celebrity merely for their willingness to misbehave…and indeed, when I see members of successful, worthy organizations whining and wailing simply because they do not get their way…I am left to wonder:
What is adulthood, and what might we do to reclaim more of it, more of the time?
How can we at once embrace both the wisdom of adulthood and the boundless creativity of childhood?
Why did the Greatest Generation (so far) spent its youth trying to look older (look at those pictures!) while succeeding generations have gone to breathtaking lengths (Botox, anyone?) to look younger?
Adulthood is a theme upon which I will reflect throughout the year, and I hope that you will join me, with your thoughts, ideas, and suggestions. The “comment” button works well, for starters.
Happy Autumn!
CAW
My initial reaction is “block that metaphor.” I am reminded of (1) the “everything I need to know I learned in kindergarten” trope and (2) that the lives of many children are complex, serious places in which they must successfully navigate relationships, places, and things for their survival or at least well-being. We are not so different and we all suffer the same slings and arrows of the human condition as well as joys and rewards.
The themes are more universal and not defined by age or life stage.
BTW, I had Botox for a medical condition and it didn’t do a damn thing to make me look younger. Being happy has done much more. And hair color. And denial.