December 29 , 2021 /

MANY SIDES OF ONE

I am a son, a grandson, a brother, a husband, a father, a cousin, an uncle, a brother-in-law, son-in-law and a grandfather.

I have been or I am a student, a pastor, a psychologist, a psychotherapist, a professor, an instructor, a teacher, a department head, a coach, a principal, a head of school, a trustee, a consultant, a life coach, an adviser, an author and a blogger.

I am a citizen, a neighbor, a friend, an activist, a resister, a protester, a contrarian, an elder, and a traveler.

I am an optimist, a realist, a reader. I am hopeful, concerned, eager, grateful and glad.

I am one person with the same name. I am changed and different and known by many according to which sides they see and in what role(s) they know me.  I am the elephant among blind people.  I am ordinary and I am extraordinary.

I have lived in 9 states, 2 foreign countries, in 34 different houses and owned over 47 different vehicles including cars, motorcyles, trucks, tractors, and RV’s.  I have traveled in all but 2 of the 50 states (ND and HI) and traveled in 12 European countries. I have been to Fiji and the Caribbean islands and to Guernsey. I have been to Montenegro and Croatia.  I have not been to Asia nor South America nor Scandinavia.

I have worked since the age of 9 and I still work in a part-time role as a life coach, helping others to realize more of their human potential.  I “retired” from an active professional life three different times at different ages and stages in my life. I embrace and celebrate learning, growth and change. I find passion and purpose beyond myself.

I love nature, animals, most other people, enjoy relationships and connections with those who share their observations and insights as well as the meanings and interpretations of life as we know it. I enjoy pursuing the spiritual dimensions of being that enrich doing.

I keep this blog that started in 2011. It is eclectic without any intentional overarching themes, although it could be change.  I am predictable and unpredictable, a living paradox.

I have failed or come up short in many of these things and I have also been blessed with a measure of success and joy. In all of them I have learned more about what works and what doesn’t.

I believe we have the capacity to change the world and help make it safer, saner, healthier, kinder and more peaceful.  We are the sum total of all our parts and “every decision we have made has brought us to where we are.” (SAR)

This is a look back for a review which I do at the end of a day, a week, a month or a year. I put it away and look forward to the next day, one day at a time.  I try to make the most and best of each day and live in the present. I make plans for the future in case there is one. I have written four books and have three others in process at different stages.

I meditate, walk, think, wonder, contemplate, talk, write, eat, drink and check in with others as we celebrate life as a blessing and a gift.  An old year is ending, a new one beckons. Grace is revealed in gratitude.

Comments (3)

  1. Yes, indeed. We ‘play’ so many roles in life at so many different stages, and you have surely played so many different ones… a life well loved and lived. Bravo, and Happy New Year, Gary!

  2. Yes, we should all be so fortunate to have so many opportunities for a well loved and well lived life. It is partly about choices, partly about an adventurous spirit and mostly about grace and gratitude. A very happy and healthy new year to you and your family. May you be blessed with a year of joy, abundance and spirit guides to support and enrich your being in 2022.

  3. New Day, New Year, New Beginnings – M&M's Musings

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