Jim and I are on vacation. Being able to enjoy the wedding of our god-daughter in Colorado Springs, seeing friends we have not seen in years and being with friends in Oklahoma were wonderful experiences. The last couple of days we spent in New Mexico and saw some amazing historical sites, ate wonderful food, and enjoyed the world around us. Three interesting things happened yesterday: 1. On Sunday we went to one of the oldest churches in the USA and so loved the architecture. The service was wonderful and the priest had an amazing message on unity.He told the story of two friends arguing and in the end one of the friends saying “You are right, but I am not wrong.” What a great picture of ensuring peace between friends in these tumultuous times, when everyone wants to be right. The blessing of the priest was “go and proclaim Christ through your life.” 2. We are reading some things on our enneagrams, learning more about our personalities and how to grow into who we are, and reminding us, that often the personalities we have are part of the clothing we put on as children to maneuverer in our world, but that they do not define us. 3. We were walking down the street and a homeless person who was sitting on a stoop said: ’Smile, it’s a beautiful world!’

All these accounts remind me how focused and driven often I am. Sitting in the beautiful cathedral, I was thinking about the history of the church as a whole and the many mistakes that have been made over the years. Reading the enneagram reminded me how the clothing of yesterday does not have to define me today, and the remark of the homeless person reminded me that I need to enjoy life more :).

So, if you see me running to the next thing, frowning while I work, or using my default black and white thinking, I give you permission to point it out. Even at 63, there are things to be learned and new paths to explore.