Each month, a member of the board will share a reflection on the Soul Matters monthly theme and the state of the church. The theme for April is Awakening. This month’s post is offered by Jeff Adrian.

The movie “Dad” from 1989 stars Jack Lemmon as a retired man who has lived a very monotonous life as a factory worker raising a family. There’s a much more complicated back story, but his son (played by Ted Danson) has to come home to take care of him when Mom (Olympia Dukakis) has to be in the hospital. Through some life changes and a diagnosis of cancer, Dad decides to start living life. The specific line I remember him saying to his wife, “You know what I realized? We don’t speak Japanese!” And then he proceeding to have them learn Japanese. It’s a very good movie.

This bit from the movie is my “awakening” moment to stick my head up from the busyness and routines of daily life, to take a look around and enjoy things. Otherwise life will just pass me by.

For the nearly seven months since my own cancer diagnosis, as a precaution to limit my risk from Covid-19 due to my age and a chemotherapy compromised immunity, I had isolated myself almost to the extreme, with little human contact. And while that is a very good strategy in one sense, perhaps it’s not so smart in another. The isolation had a negative impact on my emotional state and well being. On further thought, perhaps it was time to swing the pendulum back to middle ground? My conclusion was that a better course was to be smart regarding Covid, but find a better balance and have a life worth living.

In my personal awakening, I have planned several road trips to begin at the conclusion of my chemotherapy at the end of April. I look forward to the warmer weather of May to participate in the Miata Club Spring Rally, to visit a friend in Des Moines, and to see yet another friend in Chattanooga, Tennessee. It’s just a start for me with more to come! My personal “awakening” could not be better. Life will not pass me by.

Acknowledgements:
The movie story was provided to me by a friend and is used with their permission. I cannot say thank you enough for all the support provided by the UUCM Care Team to make my journey easier. I’m looking forward to a brighter year and am eager to see you all in person again at our Sunday services and future events.

— Jeff Adrian
Member, UUCM Board of Trustees