I really really love chicken wings and grilling. I also love warm temperatures that allow me to go outside without freezing and participate in my favorite hobby, fishing. I love watching flowers bloom and even the thoughts of yardwork. And the extra hour of daylight when the time changes, well don’t get me started. I love Spring.

The changing of seasons is something I look forward to every year and this year, especially, I am noticing the changing of seasons in life. I am a few years away from being 50 and noticing shifts on how I approach work and my personal life.

With work, I am still not only enjoying doing the work, but enjoying the people I get to do it with and being present with them in how we approach it versus just getting it done. I am becoming a better listener and allowing conversations to inform the direction versus a preconceived notion of how things should go. I am finding it useful to draw on 20+ years of experience and calmly approaching fires that may arise. Finally, I have learned to be firm in my diversity, equity and inclusion practices and make them a part of who I am.

With my personal life, I am learning to love better. I am understanding what it means to be a present husband and father instead of focusing on other distractions. Taking time off has become part of my new norm so that I can slow down, reflect, and refocus on what is important to me. Finally, I am enjoying the gift of time, moments, and making memories.

Life can go fast in the nonprofit sector with the causes we advocate for taking priority over everything. Remember that the caregiver needs care too.

Here is some advice from a soon to be old man; take time to check in with yourself to see what season of life you are in and what impacts it has for your work and personal life. I am starting to see that life has some beautiful seasons to it, if you take the time to notice.

Happy soon to be Spring y’all and see you down at the fishing hole.