My involuntary perch on the Slippery Slope cannot help but spark reflection. None is more compelling than asking myself the question: Have I lived a Great Story?
My criteria:
*Loving my family and friends deeply
*Honoring my intense curiosity
*Serving my fellow travelers on this planet as a teacher and volunteer
*Standing against injustice wherever I see it
*Answering the call to adventure by bike, foot, canoe, or naked pickleball
*Spending as much time as possible in nature
*Exploring myriad spiritual paths
*Preparing for death
I recognized these criteria with the wisdom of retrospect, right now at age 76. At 21, if someone had asked my plan for living a truly Great Story, I would have replied, “Huh?” Perhaps making sense of a life is only possible when looking back over the decades at both bitter pain and glorious sweetness—-a puzzle finally solved on the precipice of the Slippery Slope.
So, yes, it has been a Great Story with few regrets and with hope for another chapter. It is not a spectacular tale like Maya Angelou’s or Mary Oliver’s, but it is MY story complete with its warts, ennui, thrills and triumphs.
And you? Tell me your story. It can begin today. It is never too late.