I'm finally back after an end of the summer hiatus. The house is sold, we take possession of the new house on Sept 14th, the kids are in their new schools, and with the exception of needing to be packing boxes I have a few minutes each day to write.
It must have been a few weeks ago now, but I recently heard a great interview on NPR with author/farmer David Masumoto http://www.masumoto.com/literary/books/wisdom_last_farmer.htm. One thing he said really struck me because I had just finished preaching to my son about the important role education plays in forming a successful life. Mr. Masumoto noted that he had pursued a life of significance, and not a life of success - the type of material success typically sought after in modern American culture.
Lately my definition of success has been whether or not I've reached a summit or a finish line: I topped out on that peak, I knocked off that race, and I must confess as to not really caring about the significance of my actions. I put a heck of a lot of work into doing things, but really how important are those things?
Significant - meaningful or influential - man that's a tough question: are my actions meaningful. Outside of being a parent I can't say as most of what I do has any meaning, time to start looking at my priorities through a different lens.
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