Third Third

For a while now I've believed our lives are divided into thirds. The first third is typically self centered. We're children growing up. We consume and expect others to provide for us.

The second third has a family focus. We get married, we have children and our focus is all about providing for the family.

What we decide to focus on during that last third often defines us and might just answer the real question about who we are.

For some, the third third puts them back into the first third. Hopefully they would have outgrown the part that expects others to provide for them but many people jump back into self service after the kids are grown and out the door.

Personally, I believe the third third should be about service to others.

By the time you reach 50 you have some amazing things going on in your life. You are likely quite skilled in something, probably skilled in more than one thing, after all - you've had half a century to learn things.

There is a good chance that your financial burden got lighter as the kids left the nest and started to pursue their second third so you have a nicer cash flow situation than you ever had before. I can still recall the wonderful pressure release as the burden of responsibility was lifted from us. In this crazy world where jobs are going away faster than elected officials lose their common sense, I was more than a little concerned about the impact of job loss on my ability to provide.

After the wedding of my youngest I sat back, took stock of my life and realized that if necessary we could go back to the simple life Michelle and I lived at age 22 (and trust me, that one was MUCH cheaper). Better than that, I knew that choosing less rat-race, less pay, and less productivity wouldn't hurt anybody.

You also suddenly find yourself with extra time. By the time you start the third third you've likely forgotten that there even IS such a thing as extra time. Twenty five years of basketball practice, meal preparation, "do your homework", "take a bath, it's almost bed time", and other such time consumers leaves scant time for your spouse, much less your self or volunteer efforts.

So here I am in the third third. My wife and I are using the resources God trusted us with to help others in a volume unprecidented in my lifetime. I have time to serve non-profit organizations in capacities where I can donate that skill set I've spent the last half decade building.

I have the time and motivation to start efforts like 1000 pounds of meat, all the while pondering what I can do to make the world better 10 years from now when I retire.

I may be a bit too fat and I don't remember things if I don't write them down but that said, it's looking like the third third is going to be a hoot!