Steve Jobs once said:
“You can’t connect the dots looking forward; you can only connect them looking backward. So you have to trust that the dots will somehow connect in your future. You have to trust in something – your gut, destiny, life, karma, whatever.”
Rhonda and Raea on a chilly-day walk
Usually, I am the ‘interviewer,’ but in the video-podcast above the tables are turned. Raea Stika, my dear friend, and newly-retired personal and professional caregiver thought it might be worthwhile- experiment to have her ask questions of me to see if we would spontaneously stumble upon greater clarity about the breadth and meaning of my work and services focused on embracing death as life’s inescapable nudge to live life more fully.
Curious Over-Thinker
It may be true for you, too. I am a very curious soul and a great over-thinker. It is often the case that until questions are asked of me, the answers remain locked inside swirling around in my head, remaining unclear and elusive.
Yet, somehow magically when responding to a direct question, at least for the moment, I am able to bypass the inner critic, allowing the wisdom and insights to fall out of our mouth in a cohesive form.
When I listen back to what I express on the spot without over-thinking and self-judgment, I can sometimes be pleasantly surprised by a flush of appreciation that I may actually have something valuable and helpful to share. I often use too many words, but that is just who I am!
In this grand-experiment and role-reversal conversation, Raea asks me important questions about looking back at the steps I have taken to best connect the dots and see how I was prepared and meant to be right here, right now.
Now, you get to experience the outcome. Hopefully, you will be inspired to review your own legacy, connect your own dots, and become better able to see that every moment of your life matters, even the bittersweet and messy ones.