I’ve stared at this blank screen for days, literally. In my mind, for months, figuratively. It isn’t a case of writer’s block, far from it. I always have a thought, idea, or an opinion. During the morning walk today, I realized what the issue truly is.

Relevance.

There are so many distractions around us all these days. I know it will sound a bit like “Ok, Boomer”, and I’m ok with that, but without the constant barrage of social media, viral videos and misinformation that dots the landscape of modern life, the simplicity of just going about your business without knowing every little detail of every little thing kept us focused on what was really important – the people who have been with us all along the journey from rotary phones to computers in our pockets, from three channels of black & white television to streaming on-demand more programs than we could watch in a lifetime, and taking advice from an “influencer” with opinions rather than a scientist with facts.

For those who will blame it all on the younger generations, I’ll have nothing of that. They are creating the world they want to live in, just like we did back in our day with probably the same concerns the generations before us had of our own efforts or lack thereof. After all, if there is a problem with those that were born after us, look no farther than the mirror in the bathroom. We raised them.

Through all of this, I’m beginning to understand the phase of life that comes when the work stops and the daily pattern of weeks and years of meetings, deadlines, and decisions end. I can best describe it as a lull, a quieting, a peace.

I know this situation is not exclusive to my experience and nothing new in the universe. I believe everyone who makes it to the legal definition of “elderly” feels similarly, even though our inner self is still decades younger.

But time has a way of shrinking us. We may have once been important in our community role, but now, as we move farther from relevance, our thoughts and opinions are less influential and more rarely sought.

I’m ok with this, too.

As those of you who know me, I was once an editor of a small town daily newspaper. It was here that i felt truly relevant in the city of my birth and growth. However, I left more than a decade ago and have been otherwise retired for more than five years. During this time, my understanding of “how things work” has evolved from seeing it as an insider digging through the rubble to find the facts, to a man on the outside who sees the greater picture on my walk deciding between distraction and significance.

I’ve learned and accepted that the world of my work relevance no longer exists, but am comforted and grounded in the relevance I have always held and will continue to hold with my wife, my family, and closest friends. The rest doesn’t matter.

I’m on the road of Significance, and I find it enlightening.