How ‘PASSING THE BATON’ Came to be, and Why You’re Meant to be Here
Where Reflection is Encouraged and Conversations Start
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.’