Our community believes their second half of life should be the best part of their lives. Each week, we share inspiring stories of people redesigning their lives for the best. No self-proclaimed gurus, no ads, and no sales pitches. If you're feeling a bit stuck or lost, then join our community and find your way back to yourself.
Somewhere in between
|
Hi lovely humans, I signed the papers last week. The house I've lived in for a decade years has been sold. It's someone else’s memory-maker now, someone else’s Thanksgiving stories. For that reason, we'll be skipping the usual Second Harvesters story. I’m writing this from somewhere between here and the next chapter. Sounds romantic but mostly just means you can’t find the coffee mugs. The choice to downsize and donate most of my belongings is part of an idea I've embraced called via negativa. Loosely speaking, via negativa is an ancient philosophy that suggests finding your way to a higher self through subtraction. I had a coach, Joan King, that told me that every physical item we own, also owns a place in our hearts and minds. "By subtracting clutter from our lives, we also remove the obstacles to expansion," she would say. We create the space for new opportunities. In the sprit of spring, we are the gardener that removes weeds and rocks so that the new blooms may emerge. These are exactly the moments Second Harvest was created for. Taking a pause to see what needs to stay, and what needs to go. Opening up a little space between who you were and who you’re becoming. And as it turns out, this week Devon and I will be hosting a few hundred people going through that in between moment. This Thursday, May 21st, we’re gathering at the deCordova Sculpture Park in Lincoln, MA for the Spring Summit. An amazing group of accomplished humans who are done pretending they have it all figured out. No giant screens. No keynotes. No quick-fix programming. Just real conversations among people who are in it. Guided by people who have been there themselves. They are deep in the career shift, the identity questions, the relationship changes, the restlessness that visits you at 2am. If you’re joining us at the Summit, which might mean a you're also in that space. A little uncertain, a little excited, and asking lots of questions. If you’re not joining us this time, I’ll leave you with the question I’ve been sitting with as I empty out the rooms and pack boxes: What are you carrying that no longer belongs to the person you're becoming? It’s a harder question than it sounds. I’m still working on my answer. See you out there. Richard and Devon. If someone in your life is navigating their own second act, forward this along, or consider joining our Correspondent's Club. Members get ten mailings a year — four physical newspapers, and six pieces in between: art prints, books, and other surprise gifts from us. Half the fun is in the mystery of what arrives in your mailbox. You won't be disappointed. |
Second Harvest
Our community believes their second half of life should be the best part of their lives. Each week, we share inspiring stories of people redesigning their lives for the best. No self-proclaimed gurus, no ads, and no sales pitches. If you're feeling a bit stuck or lost, then join our community and find your way back to yourself.
Hello lovey humans, Some people wake up because the life they built falls apart. Mike woke up at his dear friend's funeral. This is Mike’s story. The Achievement Machine For the first fifty years of his life, Mike Hirshland built the kind of résumé that makes other accomplished people feel like they haven’t tried hard enough. First in his class through law school. Clerk on the Supreme Court. Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee. Then a hard pivot into venture capital, where he backed and...
Hello lovey humans, A few years ago, Brie found herself at New York Philharmonic concert sitting next to a partner she had worked with for some time. He spent twenty minutes explaining classical music to her. She nodded along. She went home, went to bed, and never mentioned she had been playing violin since she was three years old. The Armor Brie didn’t set out to disappear. It happened incrementally, one small compromise at a time. The violin stayed home. The girl who had grown up with music...
Hello lovey humans, Sometimes the second harvest begins with a referral to a heart surgeon. Ouch! My friend, Moshe Adir has been in tech since before most people had email. He co-founded his business in 1998 in Cape Town, back when the internet was made of dial-up tones and CD-ROMs. Nearly three decades later, he's still designing digital experiences for every major brand in the online gaming industry. The man has stories. But this isn’t about business longevity. This is about personal...