Vicarious Lessons & a 25 Year Reunion...

Each of us have stories to tell that would benefit each other in ways we may never know. I'm trying to slow my pace in life so I'm able to see and hear what others are learning in their lives. I've noticed more often than not, vicarious learning is just as valuable as personal experience. The difference is our ability to actually take other people's life lessons to heart as we would our own.

As I visit with my hospice patients I tend to see how their way of life has worked for and against them. I can see the way their relationships with their family reflects who they were through their lives. I can hear their level of frustration regarding their inability to serve as they did when they were younger, healthier, and mobile. I listen to the stories they share of the experiences they've had that have impacted their lives both in good and bad ways. All this gives me a vicarious understanding of reasons to slow down and focus my attention more intently on the circumstances I'm experiencing through my day.

This weekend I'm attending a twenty-five year high-school reunion. I still struggle to believe it's been twenty-five years since I barely graduated. I know I'll be radically surprised to see how my friends from high-school have changed over the years. Many, if not most of them, I've not seen since graduation. I've interacted on Facebook with a number of them, which may make the reunion a bit easier to handle. But I suspect to find myself pretty darn melancholy as I drive home and reflect on all those years without properly connecting with these friends of mine.

I was flipping through old notebooks recently and found notes, letters, and cards written to me from other friends I've not seen since high-school, as well. These were relationships that had deep meaning in my life at that time. They encouraged me, prayed with me and for me, and were there to embrace me during the struggles I endured. Yet, somehow and for some reason I let go of these relationships to the point I would not even know how to contact them if I wanted...which I do.

How do we truly slow our lives to the point we're able to sustain these meaningful relationships? How do we do this in a healthy way that allows us to listen and learn from each others experiences...the good, the bad, the beautiful, and the ugly of our lives?

Not to be morbid, but we really have no idea how many reunions we may have ahead of us. If we push aside the meaningfulness of these opportunities and simply chalk it up as another party, we may miss out on the purpose of the event...to reconnect, to reflect, and to actually learn from each other through the significant life lessons shared through our stories.

Feel free to slap me around if I don't slow down!