When I was 11 years old, I told my grandmother that I wished I was 12 so I could have a paper route. (That meant having the job of delivering newspapers to peoples’ homes. Oh, and newspapers were printed publications that had news articles, comics, ads, and other stuff to read.) She smiled and told me not to wish my life away, because it was going to pass quickly all by itself. That was the first time I remember hearing the message from an elder that life will go fast, so be sure to appreciate the days and years, and don’t wish them away.

I also remember as a 17-year old getting ready to go to college, my mother telling me to enjoy the next four years because they were going to go fast. I recall thinking, What are you talking about?! Four years?! Because four years seemed far beyond any time horizon I’d ever considered before.

Now I look in the mirror and see that I’m an elder (gulp!). And looking back, I realize that I didn’t appreciate those nuggets of wisdom at the time. Of course, why would I? Those were old people talking.

When we’re kids, and even young adults, the days ahead seem limitless, like a vast expanse on an endless horizon, and regardless of what we’re told by our parents and grandparents, which is to make the most of every moment, because the days will fly by, it still comes as somewhat of a dark surprise when we get older, like some cruel trick, not only that the days did in fact go fast, but also that there seem to be years and ages that are somehow difficult to remember or account for. So, consider yourself fairly warned, and try to take the advice seriously.

Also, best to think of yourself as a tenant in life, not as an owner, and remember that everything you are, have, or will be, is borrowed, including your mind and your body, so take good care of them, and don’t get too wrapped up in yourself, your possessions or your accomplishments.

Be a good steward, and remember that you, and you alone, are responsible for your journey in life. Your happiness is yours to seek, your success yours to achieve, and your peace yours to find. No doubt you’ll have people who love you, root for you and support you along the way, but don’t become dependent on them, because in the end no one owes you anything and your life is a gift that belongs only to you.

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To leave a legacy is a heavy topic, which is probably why most people don’t think about it until they advance in age, if they consider their legacy at all. More likely for some people is to skate through life doing whatever they do until they don’t do it anymore, after which their legacy chips fall where they may.

But what does it mean to leave a legacy? In our culture, a legacy is often considered in financial terms, some amount of money or property, a bequest. That’s fine, but isn’t it more than that, and more than a chronology of events, of where we came from, where we traveled or what we did to earn a living?

To me, to leave a legacy is to leave a mark, a lasting impression, some evidence that I was here and that I made a positive difference in the world, that I influenced another person’s thinking or behavior in a positive way, and helped to shape a meaningful life for someone else.

What about you? What will your legacy be?

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I have an idea, and it’s a good one. It’s going to need some real energy behind it, so talk it up with everyone you know, post about it on Instagram, make some YouTube videos, get it on TikTok. This one needs to be big. This is one of those great ideas that you’re going to say, “Shoot, that was so obvious! Why didn’t I think of it?…

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Help! Contact everyone you know! We need to post these flyers! I’ve searched everywhere, looked high and low, and I can’t find ‘Real Conversation’. Here’s a description:

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I’ve been blessed in my life to have had a number of mentors and role models. One of the most significant was from my days at American Express Financial Corporation. His name was Doug Lennick. One of the many things I learned from Doug was the concept that everyone is a leader, which he based on two observations about…

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Of all the people in your life,
family, living or passed,
friends, close or casual,
some other acquaintance maybe,
or people you worked with in the past, or work with now,
Anyone.

Who have you admired the most, and why?
What did they do or say?
How did they behave?
What did they accomplish or know?
What success…

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When I was a young boy, not yet 10 years old, without a care in the world, one of my favorite things to do was to play outside with my friends. Unless the weather was terrible, we were outside from morning till our parents called us in for dinner, then out again until the street lights came on. We all had Baby Boomer names. Jimmy Frost lived next door. …

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Are you busy being born, or are you busy dying?* There’s not really an in between.

• You exercise your muscles, or they atrophy.

• You learn new things and improve your mind, or open the door to ignorance.

• You seek new experiences, or invite complacency.

• You stay physically active, or become lethargic.

• You cultivate important relationsh…

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I’m glad you’re here, and if I may be so bold, I think you will be too.

My decision to launch PASSING THE BATON is one that I put off for far too long, in fact, for years. I didn’t put it off because I was unsure of whether it was the right decision. No, my snail’s pace was because — get this — the time never felt quite right and I never made it a priority. (Can you relate to that?) But finally — finally, I reached a point at which I said to myself ‘Get out of your own way!’

I’ve launched PASSING THE BATON because I have things I want to share, and I think you’ll relate to them. My desire is that this site will bring relief from what feels like a chaotic, superficial world, and you’ll discover a sense of belonging and community, knowing that there are others like you, who want to focus on topics and ideas that are more meaningful and long lasting. Ideally, my posts will be stimulating enough to share with others and lead to meaningful conversation with family and friends.

My Motivation for PASSING THE BATON

My inspirations for writing PASSING THE BATON are two-fold. One is my desire to produce a collection of writings for my children and future generations. The other is to seek relief from the constant noise and discord that reflect our culture. At first blush those motivations may seem unrelated, but for me they share a common theme, that being that I want to write messages that in some way stand the test of time and convey something meaningful.

The Layout of PASSING THE BATON: What to Expect

This site is laid out in three sections:

WHAT MATTERS MOST

This section is comprised of posts that I write with my children and future generations in mind. They reflect how I think, and what I value and believe. They’re my mental maps, products of my upbringing, influences from my parents, my wife, mentors and close friends, as well as reflections of lessons learned from defining moments and choices made over 50 years of adulthood.

QUESTIONS FOR CONVERSATION

In this section are questions written in a Socratic style, to stimulate thinking and perhaps lead to new self-discovery, and also to generate some great conversations with family and friends.

ONE MORE THING

These are posts written on topics that I think about and observe in life. They don’t fit neatly into the first two sections, but are common to all of us.

The Common Denominator

You may be like me, exhausted by the state of our public discourse.

And to say ‘public discourse’ is to be kind. Those words belie the feeling that communication in our culture seems to have gone off the rails, often sounding like fingernails on a chalkboard, with too much posturing, not enough seeking to understand, and a trigger finger quickness to shut others out entirely.

For these reasons, I’m thrilled to have finally decided to launch PASSING THE BATON, and I hope you’ll join me on this journey by subscribing..

When You Subscribe

There are two subscription levels, the second building on the first:

FREE SUBSCRIBERS

• Receive regular posts, comment, and join a community of kindred spirits

PAID SUBSCRIBERS

• Support the site and engage with others in periodic chats on meaningful topics

• Access to archive and any future paywalled content

Who am I?

I’m a Baby Boomer, born and raised in Michigan, and happily married to a wonderful wife, mother and prolific metal and glass sculptor. Together we’re blessed to have three great children, two sons who live in Phoenix, one married and the other soon to be, and a daughter who lives in Wilmington, N.C. I enjoyed a 20+ year career advancing up the corporate ladder with American Express Financial Corporation, from which I was blessed to be financially secure enough to leave in my early 40s to pursue other interests and be more involved with my family and community. In the ensuing years, I’ve been an active investor, developed and owned several small commercial real estate projects, owned an art gallery, been a partner in a restaurant, owned a real estate brokerage, and am a past president of both my local school board and Rotary Club.

Through it all, I’ve had an inner voice that’s whispered, cajoled, nudged, and sometimes even nagged at me to share what I’ve gleaned throughout the journey to this point in my life, past my prime, yet still feeling vibrant, and wanting to remain relevant to those who love me. But ‘Is what I have to share worth writing?’, I’ve repeatedly asked of my inner voice. And the response that comes back every time is, ‘Enough already. Just write.’

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