Role model

I've been mulling over this post for the past couple of months, prompted by a comment about A's own inspiration in life.

I still don't have the phrasing for a proper post yet. Or time! My next two weeks look a little terrible...

In general, I haven't had many role models in life who are older than me, though I'm lucky to have any at all. I'm lucky to have had great parents -- that's two. There's Ms. S. And that was probably it, insofar that I truly wanted to be like them. But the generational gap made me feel like I could never quite follow the same life trajectory, and of course there are always aspects where one might have different views or interests. Still, there are many takeaways: to really love your S/O even into difficult circumstances, to genuinely listen, to keep learning, to avoid substance abuse, to care for your charges... in aggregate, there's a lot to learn from there, and I'm still trying.

What makes me genuinely happy is that I think I'm starting to look up to A as a role model as well. Thrice this week and many more times over the past month and the past few years; there have just been many expressions of consideration for other people that I find both inspiring and calming. It is so nice to be able to have faith in the character of the people you work with. Adds meaning and color to the otherwise humdrum nature of life, and shushes my cynical and acerbic inner thoughts for a while.

The kind of world that I want to live in and a kind of person that I'd like to be. Though probably toned down a little.

But for now, back to OpenSpiel!