A Purpose Driven Life

No, I am not going born again and this is not a post about religion or anything like that.  But there comes moments in all of our lives where we stop and want to bookmark where we are and reflect on who, what and why we do what we do.  I am having a weekend like that this weekend.  I guess it says something about how "mature" I am that I at least recognize these moments.  At times like this I am always reminded of a line in the movie Wall Street.

“Man looks in the abyss, there’s nothing staring back at him. At that moment, man finds his character. And that is what keeps him out of the abyss.” —Hal Holbrook, Wall Street

Not that I am facing what Bud in the movie was, but I just feel like it is one of those times to take stock.  What is driving me to this self-reflective navel gazing?  Well first of all tomorrow is Bonnie's and mine 17th wedding anniversary.  Can it really be that long already?  Where does the time go.  So many of our friends have had their marriages fall apart over the last few years.  Those of you married or in long term relationships know that maintaining one for that period of time is not the easiest thing in the world.  My wife has put up with much from me over the years and I can honestly say that even after all this time we still are learning about each other and how to be closer than ever.  Happy Anniversary Bonnie!

Another thing driving my self-reflection was that this was playoff day in flag football.  I coach both of my sons teams in soccer, baseball and football.  We were lucky enough to win the division in soccer last season and today we won in football.  However, for the second time in 5 years of coaching I lost my cool on the field.  Just like the first time, it involved one of the kids on my team laying on the grass crying after being crushed by the other team.  Today, it was the second play in a row where on of my boys was hurt by the same player on the other team on the first two plays of the game.  Obviously this player from the other team was out to play hard and make a statement.  On reflection (that is what this post is about), I probably over reacted and made it a bigger deal than I should have.  The coach of the other team is actually one of my best friends.  Though the parents on my team appreciated that I was sticking up for their children and trying to make sure they were not getting hurt, I felt like I could have done better.  I apologized to the refs and the other coach and rallied my team and we won by a touchdown.  I will be honest.  It felt good to be the winning football coach.  I can almost imagine how Tony Dungy felt :-)  Anyway, tomorrow it is baseball for both of my boys teams so I will be coaching again all day and will try to be a good coach and keep my cool.

I look at my life on this weekend and realize looking into the abyss, I see a very lucky man staring back.  A beautiful wife who loves him, 2 great boys that I am proud of, a successful company that I feel I have helped give life to.  A full plate of activities and adventure that keep me moving forward, learning and growing. There is much still to do, but these are the things that keep me going day after day and give purpose to my life.