Living the Dash-in-Between

THE LIFE OF PIE AND THE DASH-IN-BETWEEN

This week, I attended the second funeral service for my mother-in-law who spent most of her life in Illinois but wished to be buried in Tennessee where she grew up. The pastor gave a great eulogy in which he said, “There is a dash in between your birth and your death date. What will you do with that dash-in-between?”

For many years, I dedicated my career to military service for which I am grateful. Despite the time away from home and the many sacrifices we make, the career choice was always the right one. As I enter into the final chapter of my amazing journey as a military officer and leader, I realize that the key is simplicity: create a life you can’t wait to wake up to every day and don’t get bogged down by the minutia. For me, it means still leading Airmen as a reservist but also finding time to be present at home and to learn the craft of masterful coaching. Those things bring me joy. I don’t want tiny slivers of pie anymore. I want the entire pie and all the crumbs, too. Throw in some ice cream while you’re at it. That’s how I want to live out my dash-in-between. What about your dash-in-between?

With gratitude,

—Joy

Image of a slice of pie. ram-ho-_6D4dDeNI-M-unsplash