What does your life's movie look like?

I received a really beautiful early bday pressie - Mom and Dad included some vintage pics in my bday card and what a lovely surprise to see an old pic I don't even remember being taken. 

And perhaps a hairdo I'd wish to forget. :)

Just a random scene of my long and (mostly) happy life that gets longer and happier as I grow.  :)

You can't see my bro's face here but there he is at my right hand side - these were our "spots" at the dinner table every night, and I can't tell you how grateful I am for all of our moments, and just the asides, and the family dinners together.

No phones, just fam. Just making each other laugh. Just telling stories. Making up songs. Annoying + upsetting each other (a.k.a. growing + learning from one another!).  :) And sharing our everyday lives. I'll cherish it all forever.

Hope this isn’t too much on a nice sunny (at least in Erie!) Friday, but thinking about my bro makes me think about the other side of course, and I often wonder, do we get to see that proverbial movie of our lives? If yes, I know these are the moments I would watch again and again. Just being together. Connection times.

Since Dustin passed on all those years ago, I've contemplated it all often. As I age on, looking back, and especially since receiving High Performance training, I also think about how it might be tough one day, to review those moments of my life when I'm not living and loving as who I really can be. As the best of me.

The arguments. Let’s just go ahead and call them fights. The times I succumbed to easy anger or acted from a place of fear. The times I didn’t stand up for myself or someone else. Didn’t help. Didn’t reach out.

Moments which seen through the lens of experience and hindsight, only really required of me one thing: love.

Love, and presence.

Because Love + Presence = Kindness.

I think the anticipation of that hypothetical movie release serves as part of what keeps me trying hard and trying to live from my highest self, doing the best I can as I learn to do better.

They say our brains actually "record" literally everything we see and do from the time we begin here. Where it's all filed for playback is the question.

But knowing that a recording exists at all is an inspiration for my most deliberate and purposeful self to show up. Because who else would I most want to see in action, if or when I'm able to hit play?

We have time to learn while we're here. We have time to live our best moments together. To keep growing and trying harder and loving and forgiving (others and ourselves) and encouraging and cheering on those we love.

Life seems to happen in layers somehow and we seem to keep getting wiser, softer, kinder. All a part of deeper reflection. As we process gads of footage to reveal a clearer and wider picture.

And I guess everything must be alright on the other side, even more than alright. Maybe a party. A heaven. A wonder. Maybe an energy field. A new beginning. A reinvention. . .

But as long as we’re here, what if we took more time to recap the mini-movies of each one of our days, and to understand or to learn something from our lessons in that moment, how much more would we enjoy the final film we just may be in charge of reviewing.

I believe you'll have gathered more precious memories than regrets if you'll just keep starting again every day, beginning fresh as a more committed and selfless and gracious and inspired highest you.

And if you'll just press pause on life when you know you need to. Trust that you'll sense when it's best to jump back into the scene.

We all have time to make a difference here, and leave a legacy of love over all, just as my big brother did in his seemingly brief appearance here on Earth, where he played the role of everything that was Dustin.

Love you, missing you, big bro! Feeling you right here beside me, Jack!  <3