Journeys made and journeys yet to come

This is our last evening in Ireland - we fly out to Amsterdam in the (early) morning to begin the second leg of our journey.

All in all, this first week of the trip has been wildly successful. Beyond my wildest hopes, really. When I first thought of this trip for my nephew, what was in my mind was something akin to the rites of passage that most cultures have - when a young person transitions from child to adult status in a community, they are often removed from the group for some period of time and given specific instruction and experiences. Upon returning to the group, they are now considered a newly-minted adult with many of the attendant responsibilities and privileges that entails. The period of separation provides the time for them to discover the world outside the boundaries of childhood and begin deciding what place they eventually want in the adult world. Hopefully, they also gain an understanding that this is just the first step for their future - there is much learning yet to come, but it will have a different purpose: to turn them into the person they will be for the rest of their lives.

This is a ritual that Western culture somehow lost along the way, but one which I think has immense value.

Zach has made a good start. All I can hope is that the experiences of the next week, which will be very different from the week just past, will prove as valuable to him. He's proven to not only be ready for adult responsibility, but also shown a depth of understanding that is encouraging. To be sure, there have been a couple of nail-biting moments, but he's come through them well. I can't tell you how proud I am. He is young - so very young - but there is great promise.

As for myself, I have unexpectedly discovered that I am on a rite of passage of my own. As I make my passage into middle age, my role changes as well - and though I'm not quite ready for the tent of the elders, I can already tell that I will return from this trip a different person, too. Perhaps it's my first step on the road to the wisdom of age. I, too, have much learning yet to come, and it has the same purpose: to turn me into the person I will be for the rest of my life.

My thanks to my friend MJ here in Dublin, who to my delight became the initial mentor for this journey. Like me, she is also at a crossroads of her life, and the conversations we had over coffee and beers helped me to understand what is going on in my head.

Next step Amsterdam!

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