Brothers and Sisters...

...I don't know what this world is coming to! Yes, the rhythm the rebel, without a pause, I'm lowering my level. “Rebel without a pause” – Public Enemy

I was in conference about four years back. I came in late. It was in Nashville and my fleight landed that morning and map quest sent me to a dead end road that ended in a lake. When I got there I sat next to the keynote presenter on the front row. Hey, I didn't know, he was just some random white guy to me. Well when he got up he spoke about the need for professionals to "order their private worlds." I found out later that he had learned the lesson the hard way by losing his family over an affair. Well somewhere in his session he spoke about the fact that in every decade life has a different bag of tricks. He spoke about how in ten-year spans you are faced with different and distinct challenges.

In your 20's you're focused on finishing college (grad school) and getting started with your career and starting a family.

30's you're focused on providing for that family for the most part, raising that family. Or starting one if hasn't already happened. (I’m kind of stuck between the last two decades)

40's you are more focused on your career's goals. Career advancement, climbing the latter, or moving into second career. (Or in our generation maybe 3rd or 4th career move) Most likely your life is wrapped up in your child's teen years. And all the blessings of the mid-life. I won't use the 'C' word.

50's you are primarily concerned with your kids getting out of the house getting through college, and your own retirement. Mid-life maybe extended into this decade.

60's you start turning your focus towards end of life, Thinking about wills and estate planning (if you have money like that), You start reading the obit pages, a lot of the conversations with your spouse and friends center around death.

I know in my paraphrasing I may have been too limited and have not quoted him exactly. You get the gist.

Well I was thinking about this because my brother and I have never shared the same decade. We were born ten years a part. And this weekend he will make his fore into the forties. WOW! So you know what that means, this year I'll make my move into the thirties.

For Real! So here we stand in 2006. The past year has been challenging to say the least. I was writing a rhyme, (what? I rap too!) the beginning of which says “I ran through my twenties just like they was $20’s. (Ok, maybe I don’t rap well, but you get the point.) Now I look forward to beginning my thirties with a chapter of life behind me. I begin with a book of life lessons to read from and a history and legacy to be written.