I had a dream last night.
Present-time me got to spend time with the 2-year-old version of my now 20-year-old son.
I was Marty McFly, travelling back in time.
It was like striking gold. Rarer than anything you could mine.
I scooped him up in my arms. His sweet, little voice saying whatever toddlers do.
I wanted him to know what I know of him now. That he’s almost 21, away at school, what he looks like, who he’s becoming.
Mostly I wanted this moment to never end. Then I woke up.
Now I carry the hangover of feeling so close to that time in his life and mine. The sweet sorrow of precious memories.
He’s going into his fourth year of university. We’ve been talking about his summer. He wants to stay up at school.
I’m not sold on the idea. This is how it goes with growing up.
So much is written about the act of becoming.
Michelle Obama wrote a book of the same name.
The entire personal development movement has something to say about it. You don’t have to look far. Growth Mindset. Atomic Habits. Daring Greatly. And so many others.
Master and apprentice. Teacher and student.
Choice shapes us. Environment shapes us. People shape us.
And we are shaping others. All the time.
Mother and son. Parent and child.
Of course.
The person who hesitates before speaking in a meeting.
The one who says, “This might be a stupid idea, but…”
The barista who gets rushed through an interaction.
The quiet lady at the gym who could probably use a friend.
The supplier you only ever speak to when something’s wrong.
The poor souls at the other end of a customer complaint.
Somewhere in all of that…is a 2-year-old becoming who they’ll be at 20.
We don’t always see it while it’s happening. The role we play in who someone else becomes.
What will you do with that privilege today?
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Each week, I share something I’m learning, living, or working out in real time. It’s part storytelling, part reflection. I hope there’s something in it for you too.
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