Fourth, I see a future where we have a lust for life that is contagious. Ralph Emerson said, “do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” There is wisdom there. I see a future where we live out our adventuresome spirit fearlessly and deliberately. We leave trails for others to follow. We take the road less traveled. We set the standard for what life should look like. And we have fun doing it. Let’s not only live adventurously, but let’s also foster in one another a fun loving spirit. You want to dance? Absolutely! You want to sing? Yes please! Do I know how to do either well? No, but I’ll have a lot of fun trying and who cares if someone laughs...laugh with them and then bring them into the fun world they’re desperately wanting to be part of. In this lust for life, let’s also be risk takers...physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Let’s not play it safe. Physically, if today is our day to die, let’s do it having fun together. Emotionally,... Read more if we think we may emotionally isolate ourselves from the other by taking an emotional risk, take the risk with wisdom and trust the other to be kind and gracious. Be vulnerable. Risk something emotional with the one you love and trust! Mentally, if it’s time to confront the intellectual norms of the day, then let’s risk it. Spiritually, if we have a crazy spiritual idea like becoming a missionary, express it. Maybe it will chart a path of fulfillment we never thought possible. Importantly, one of the biggest enemies to having a lust for life and living life to the fullest, is living a life of pain avoidance. If taken to the extreme, we will begin to avoid pain at all cost and our risk tolerance goes to zero or close to it. We surrender a life that is on fire for a life that is safe. let’s be ok with getting hurt physically and emotionally. Let’s learn resilience together as a team. When trauma comes as it inevitably will, let’s embrace the suffering together and not allow the lesson to be “let’s figure out how to never face trauma again.” Instead, let’s bounce back; let’s learn together from it, and let’s continue to take risks, though perhaps with greater care and sophistication. Grief is often the birthplace of compassion, so let’s not fear emotional pain, but rather learn from it. You can’t have a life of shared experiences without shared suffering. They walk hand-in-hand. Those who we sweat together with, and suffer together with, and struggle together with, are those who we tend to trust most in this life. I’m not afraid of suffering together with you – – it will be part of why we trust each other so much and why our foundations together are so solid. We’ll have some bumps and bruises along the way, but nobody will ever say of us that we lived in fear. They won’t have to remind us, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” And let’s also be energy givers as we live out a lust for life. Let’s respond to energy with energy. May it never be said of us that we were a killjoy or that we sucked energy from others. When someone is excited about jumping in a freezing lake, let’s jump in even though we have to change out of our jeans and fleece, step away from the campfire where it’s warm, and jump into frigid temperatures when that’s the last thing we want in that moment. Energy begets energy. When we let it die once, it dies easier the next time. When we embrace energy, we find that we’re living more fully than we even thought possible. Let’s do this! I like wild. I need wild. I love feeling small in a grand universe. Let’s not lose the lust for life. Let’s live it well together!! And lastly, in this lust for life, let’s be learners in all spheres of life. Let’s be well rounded and constantly open to someone teaching us something new, regardless of their IQ. Let’s be willing learners who are excited to share with others and hear from others. Let’s learn from each other, from our histories, and from human history. Regret is the birthplace of empathy. If we make mistakes, let’s use them as a learning opportunities and be thankful that we can now be more empathetic toward others in that area. Having a lust for life is something we both naturally share and is something we can foster in one another to the point that it reaches a feverish pitch. Let’s let it explode from within us and cover those around us. Read less

Fourth, I see a future where we have a lust for life that is contagious. Ralph Emerson said, “do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail.” There is wisdom there. I see a future where we live out our adventuresome spirit fearlessly and deliberately. We leave trails for others to follow. We take the road less traveled. We set the standard for what life should look like. And we have fun doing it. Let’s not only live adventurously, but let’s also foster in... Read more one another a fun loving spirit. You want to dance? Absolutely! You want to sing? Yes please! Do I know how to do either well? No, but I’ll have a lot of fun trying and who cares if someone laughs...laugh with them and then bring them into the fun world they’re desperately wanting to be part of. In this lust for life, let’s also be risk takers...physically, emotionally, spiritually, and mentally. Let’s not play it safe. Physically, if today is our day to die, let’s do it having fun together. Emotionally, if we think we may emotionally isolate ourselves from the other by taking an emotional risk, take the risk with wisdom and trust the other to be kind and gracious. Be vulnerable. Risk something emotional with the one you love and trust! Mentally, if it’s time to confront the intellectual norms of the day, then let’s risk it. Spiritually, if we have a crazy spiritual idea like becoming a missionary, express it. Maybe it will chart a path of fulfillment we never thought possible. Importantly, one of the biggest enemies to having a lust for life and living life to the fullest, is living a life of pain avoidance. If taken to the extreme, we will begin to avoid pain at all cost and our risk tolerance goes to zero or close to it. We surrender a life that is on fire for a life that is safe. let’s be ok with getting hurt physically and emotionally. Let’s learn resilience together as a team. When trauma comes as it inevitably will, let’s embrace the suffering together and not allow the lesson to be “let’s figure out how to never face trauma again.” Instead, let’s bounce back; let’s learn together from it, and let’s continue to take risks, though perhaps with greater care and sophistication. Grief is often the birthplace of compassion, so let’s not fear emotional pain, but rather learn from it. You can’t have a life of shared experiences without shared suffering. They walk hand-in-hand. Those who we sweat together with, and suffer together with, and struggle together with, are those who we tend to trust most in this life. I’m not afraid of suffering together with you – – it will be part of why we trust each other so much and why our foundations together are so solid. We’ll have some bumps and bruises along the way, but nobody will ever say of us that we lived in fear. They won’t have to remind us, “nothing ventured, nothing gained.” And let’s also be energy givers as we live out a lust for life. Let’s respond to energy with energy. May it never be said of us that we were a killjoy or that we sucked energy from others. When someone is excited about jumping in a freezing lake, let’s jump in even though we have to change out of our jeans and fleece, step away from the campfire where it’s warm, and jump into frigid temperatures when that’s the last thing we want in that moment. Energy begets energy. When we let it die once, it dies easier the next time. When we embrace energy, we find that we’re living more fully than we even thought possible. Let’s do this! I like wild. I need wild. I love feeling small in a grand universe. Let’s not lose the lust for life. Let’s live it well together!! And lastly, in this lust for life, let’s be learners in all spheres of life. Let’s be well rounded and constantly open to someone teaching us something new, regardless of their IQ. Let’s be willing learners who are excited to share with others and hear from others. Let’s learn from each other, from our histories, and from human history. Regret is the birthplace of empathy. If we make mistakes, let’s use them as a learning opportunities and be thankful that we can now be more empathetic toward others in that area. Having a lust for life is something we both naturally share and is something we can foster in one another to the point that it reaches a feverish pitch. Let’s let it explode from within us and cover those around us. Read less