# 100
From Brian to Bobby
July 29, 2009
You know, I’ve been thinking about how healthy it is for us to be planning out this long term, Brian and Bobby film project together.
A few years ago, after having a couple setbacks (the small bowel obstruction and then later the mycobacteria infection), I unwittingly lost my vision for the future. For a person who has a lot of plans, a lot of projects, after 4 or 5 months of getting sicker and sicker, I was thinking about things two years, three years into the future ….but not much more. I think I was starting to discount that I had that much time left in me! (The mycobacteria infection went long and really hit me hard and made my days pretty shittybefore we started treating it.)
Then, a couple of weeks into treatment for the infection, I was in to see Dr. Hadjiliadis (MY Dr. H!), and I don’t even remember what we were talking about, but he said something to the effect of “talk to me about that in 10
or 15 years!” The smile on my face might have weakened a little, and I think I said something like “well, 10 years is a long time…I don’t know that I’ll be here in 10 years…”
What happened next had a profound effect on me, my outlook, and ultimately my vision for the future. His response was very sincere, and even “warm”, though not patronizing in any way. He said, “Oh… I fully expect you to be here a lot longer than THAT!” It was strange, the power his words had for me. I felt a huge weight lifted. Next thing I knew, I am driving home…I was doing things like laughing out loud….I was talking to myself (interview style… I do that sometimes) about my plans for when I’m older. It opened up my entire outlook. It instantly rejuvenated my vision for the future. It said to me that I could start picturing it again.
Not long after that, I began writing my business plan for what would become Weathervane Music (the music nonprofit I’d been dreaming about with my friend Bill for YEARS), and well, WV has really helped “anchor” my vision for the future. I think it makes me healthier, in a little way.
I think having a project that stretches several years into the future effects our vision. We see our ideas alive and flourishing, and therefore we see OURSELVES alive and flourishing. This is very important. Like I said, we
never know when our time is up, but at the very least it doesn’t HELP our longevity to think it’s right around the bend.
So I am really happy that we can plan this project together. I think it improves our outlook and that can only be positive.
–
How you feeling this morning? We good for video chat with Devin tonight? If we need to reschedule, no problem!
B