I started to add yet one more post under the “Things That Inspire Me” banner; however, as I began contemplating the direction of this post, I realized that the focus was all wrong. Reflecting on personal experiences that inspire me is a bit difficult. Reflecting on personal experiences that humble me, well that’s a different story.
Today, I want to share how Fluidity in Life has humbled me.
Fluidity may be defined as the quality of being likely to change repeatedly and unexpectedly. In many respects, fluidity characterizes my life. Almost from the beginning, rapid and sometimes unexpected change carried me along like a toy boat in rain-swollen arroyo. My parents were almost nomadic it seemed. Finding a place to settle in and put down roots was difficult for them. As a result, I found myself attending 9 different schools in 12 years of public education. I learned early on to carry my roots with me – almost like a tree with a root ball. Relationships mattered deeply to me. I made friends wherever I went and kept them close to my heart long after I was forced to move on. I’ve always been this way.
After college, I worked to create more stability in my life. I worked to find cities in which to settle down. I worked to find jobs that would last. I worked to learn contentment in whatever situation I found myself. Good or Bad. Right or Wrong. That’s what I worked to do. In many respects, I have been a bit more successful at this set of tasks than my parents were, even after their divorce and remarriages. Yet in some respects, I have found myself caught in the same whirlwind.
I have multiple interests – personal and professional. These varied interests best define my personal fluidity. Professionally, I have done many things. Since 1971 I have found professional fulfillment as:
- A minister serving in several churches in Texas, Arkansas and New Mexico
- A right of way agent for a public gas utility company (required me to acquire a real estate license)
- A public school teacher
- An author
- A motivational speaker
- A therapist in a non-profit Christian Counseling Agency
- A consultant for the life insurance industry (required me to acquire a life insurance license)
- A public high school counselor
- A clinical director of a non-profit counseling agency
- An owner of a private counseling practice
You can see how my early childhood and adolescent experiences have influenced my experience as an adult. Fluidity has allowed me to move freely between multiple careers. As fulfilling as this Fluidity has been, it has also created some dissonance in my life. From time to time, I find myself allowing regret to color all of the positive experiences I have had. From time to time, I second guess my decisions, wondering what might have been had I just stuck with one thing for the long haul. From time to time, I give in to anger at myself for “being so flighty.”
Yet, when I pause long enough to truly reflect on the effects of Fluidity on my life, I am humbled.
I find myself realizing the gifts that Fluidity has given me. As a result of Fluidity, I have:
- Spoken to audiences in 20 states and the District of Columbia
- Spoken at several national events and one international event
- Been able to write two books and four short stories
- Been privileged to meet some of the most incredible people in the world
- Been exposed to some of the most revolutionary ideas on the planet
- Rubbed elbows with some of the most brilliant and humble people around
- Been able to travel fairly extensively
- Been able to chase my personal and professional dreams (even if they have not come true in the ways I might have wished)
- Made some incredible friends from all over the world who have enriched and continue to enrich my life
- Lived an enviable life . . . and . . .
I am humbled . . . Plain and Simple . . . I am humbled.
Whatever time I have remaining on this Rock, I will go with the Flow because . . . in the Fluidity, I am humbled.
Peace!
Mark E. Hundley
