Thank You 7.20.26

If you are reading this, you are probably a follower of my blog. There are not many of you. At last count, there are 64 of you brave and supportive souls who are subscribed. So you know, I only mention my blog to people that I feel a connection to. I do not want the casual acquaintance to read this. I share too much and expose too much of myself to want most people to read this. Some day – when I actually write a book, people can read most of this.

I am not one to look at the stats of my blog – I had to look that number up because I had no idea of the number of subscribers. Because I found the stats page, I looked up what percentage of you open the emails you get. It is usually around 50% to 60%. I am very happy with that. I have a favorite blogger. His name is Seth Godin – and I open his emails about 70% of the time. So, thanks for opening my notifications most of the time. I am very, very grateful.

So, why am I writing this. I am writing this to thank EACH OF YOU because when you do open the notification, you are making a very conscious decision to take your precious time to read what I have written. Believe me, I am very selective on what I spend my time reading. So, my thanks does come from the heart. And that realization was truly brought home to me when I received an email this morning from a person I have known professionally for a number of years. He actually serves on the board of one of my Pennsylvania clients. I told him about my blog. And this is the email that he wrote.

John, 
I spent (invested) some time over the weekend and this morning reading parts of your blog. Just an amazing work! Thank you for sharing it with me. I’m grateful for the opportunity learn your journey. Inspiring and poignant. 

The opening stories about your growing up and early years, the covid era bike ride visit at an African American outdoor church service, the recent trip to Disney with your grandkids. Just heartfelt and with deep care.

I have experienced you as a wonderful storyteller, and it comes out all over in the blog. 
Thanks for sharing, to current day friends and family and for the future for your grandkids. 

And this is what I wrote back.

Thanks for your thoughtful comments on my stories. Wow, am truly honored that you invested so much time to read my blog.  I started it during COVID because I want to one day write a book that is full of these types of stories with a common theme – the importance of community and social connection. The title would be “The Myth of the Self-Made Man – The Importance of Community” 

I would provide a little context as to why our society is fascinated by the myth – it is a very American idea that goes back to our roots – the love of and pursuit of self-determination and liberty.  This is a good thing.  I am a libertarian at heart.  However, we have gone too far.

The reason I believe I have the moral authority to write such a book is because I have been labeled as a “Self-Made Man.”  And I used to believe that myth – so much so that I cheated myself out of so many rich relationships.  But I was not self-made.  I had so many “Angels” in my life who opened doors and kept me out of trouble. And they came from “Community.”  

So, I want to write a series of stories that center around the nine universal components of our lives – universal to the world, to all of us.  And I want people to understand the importance of community, relationships, and social connection in each of those nine components of our lives.  The first four are obvious – they include:

Spirituality – it has been proven scientifically that we are wired to have a spiritual component, and it is strongest when practiced in community. And I have stories and scientific evidence for similar findings for each of the following universal components of our life.

Work – this is our vocation and our purpose – both mental and physical labor – and most of our greatest discoveries have been through collaboration

Learning – This component does not have to be formal education and happens most effectively with others, and especially a mentor

Friendship – especially brotherhood and sisterhood 

These last five are semi- universal in the sense that some people do not experience these, but I believe if you do not experience or practice these you are missing out. 

Parenthood – it takes a village to be good parents

Marriage – it takes a village to have a good partnership

Play – especially team sports – look at the recent World Cup.  What do people do in the stands – they hug each other. And those scenes are so emotive. But nothing takes the place of participation.

Eating – Look up the Georgian word Supra – that says it all. Since the beginning of human existence, we were meant to eat together.

Travel – You may find this to be strange – but we all travel, whether you travel only short distances to see relatives or all over the world.  It is the people who make travel interesting and fulfilling.

So, Bill – there you go.  Now you know why I write. My life, like most lives fully lived, has been an Odyssey. And I want my book to help others realize that they do not have to wait 50 + years to find out the secret to having a joyful life – being connected to others. And I believe this myth of the self-made man feeds into this perception that individualism is the sacred concept that people worship, much like some people worship pure capitalism.  Individualism and capitalism are good when balanced by social contracts that benefit the greater community. And unfortunately, social media is feeding into the narrative that each of us is the main character, when each of us is needs to understand that we are part of a supporting cast to a higher being. 

And that is what the National Geographic Blue Zone Study and the Harvard Longitudinal Study affirms. 

Peace to you.

And thanks for your affirmation.  It means a great deal to me.

With gratitude,

John

I leave you with a poem that I wrote in 2020 and posted on my first blog post back in May of 2020 about living a full life – dare to create, share and serve.

The Bucket List Life 4.28.20


Create Experiences
Dare to Explore
Dare to Lead
Dare to Fail


Tell Stories
Speak of Family
Speak of Experiences
Speak of Journeys


Serve Others
Care by Giving
Care by Doing
Care by Listening

With deep gratitute